22 Low-Carb, High-Protein Skillet Dinners (2024)

Credit: Jacob Fox

A healthy and tasty dinner that only requires one skillet? No, it's not too good to be true! Plus, these one-skillet dinner recipes have at least 15 grams of protein and no more than 14 grams of carbohydrates per serving, so you can enjoy a light yet filling meal that helps you meet your nutritional goals. Not to mention, using only one skillet makes for an easy cleanup later. Recipes like our Cheesy Portobello Chicken Cutlets with Broccoli and Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice are nutritious dishes that are simple to prepare any night of the week.

Cheesy Portobello Chicken Cutlets with Broccoli

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Adding nutty Gruyère atop the chicken at the very end and popping it under the broiler takes this dish from delicious to heavenly. If you can't find Gruyère, Jarlsberg or Emmentaler cheese makes a good substitute.

One-Pot Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta

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Thanks to quick-cooking shrimp, this one-pot meal comes together in record time. Tomatoes add a burst of color and acidity, while chopped basil brings freshness. Serve over pasta or whole grains.

Chicken Cutlets with Garlicky Tomato Sauce

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This quick-cooking, high-protein chicken dish is perfect for any weeknight. Here, we cook down cherry tomatoes with a little wine until they burst and become jammy—making a luscious sauce to pair with chicken. A pinch of sugar at the end balances the sauce's acidity.

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Balsamic onions and raisins add a burst of sweet and savory flavor to pan-seared pork chops. Round out this healthy dinner recipe with sweet potatoes and green beans.

Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp

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This fried rice variation uses riced cauliflower instead of traditional rice to lower the calories and carbs. You can adjust the amount of chile-garlic sauce according to taste.

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A rich and creamy sauce coats chicken breasts in this quick and comforting dinner. If you don't have chicken cutlets (thin-sliced boneless chicken breast) on hand, you can make your own by slicing two 8-ounce chicken breasts in half horizontally.

20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet

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Salmon fillets cook quickly and are coated with a delicious creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This easy salmon dinner is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. The best news: you can get this meal on the table in 20 minutes flat.

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Amp up your veggie servings with this healthy cauliflower fried rice for a quick low carb dinner.

Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms

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Whether you scored wild mushrooms at the farmers' market, found cultivated maitake or shiitake at the supermarket or just have some baby bellas on hand, this healthy creamy chicken recipe is delicious with any of them. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole

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Ground beef and cauliflower combine to create a hearty weeknight casserole that both kids and adults will love. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

One-Skillet Chicken Paprikash with Mushrooms & Onions

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Try this quick and easy one-skillet version of the Hungarian classic chicken paprikash. Serve the chicken cutlets, mushrooms and creamy sauce over egg noodles with a green salad on the side.

Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad

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After making the salmon cakes, we firm them up for 5 minutes in the freezer before cooking so they don't fall apart when they hit the hot oil. You can also make these salmon cakes with canned salmon to make them pantry- and budget-friendly.

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Here, chicken cutlets are cooked in a fragrant, tangy sauce featuring garlic, capers, wine and lemon juice. Serve over zucchini noodles to sop up all of the delicious sauce.

Asparagus, Leek & Ricotta Frittata

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Serve this spring-vegetable-loaded frittata with an arugula salad and a hunk of crusty bread. Tip: This recipe cooks quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.

bowls of chicken and peppers

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Here's an easy chicken recipe you'll definitely want to add to your dinner repertoire. A quick marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses flavor in this stir fry. Adding a little oil to finish the marinade coats the chicken and helps keep it from sticking to the pan.

One-Skillet Creamy French Onion Chicken

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This easy one-skillet dinner marries the rich and savory flavor of French onion soup with chicken cutlets in a creamy, satisfying sauce. Serve with a simple green salad with homemade croutons for crunch.

skillet lemon pepper salmon

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Simple ingredients like lemon, cracked black pepper and paprika completely awaken this fall-apart-tender salmon with a crispy exterior. Use this salmon to add protein to a grain bowl or salad, or enjoy alongside roasted veggies.

Creamy Skillet Ranch Chicken & Broccoli

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This crowd-pleasing dinner feeds four and can be on the table in just 30 minutes. To top it off, the creamy ranch sauce, chicken and broccoli all come together in one skillet, making cleanup just as easy as cooking.

15-Minute Shrimp & Coconut Curry with Eggplant

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In this quick shrimp recipe, shrimp is paired with a coconut curry and tender eggplant. Red, yellow or green curry works well in this quick dinner. To keep it fast, serve with precooked brown rice to sop up the sauce.

Chicken Cutlets with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

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Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner idea. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.

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Get an extra serving of vegetables and cut back on carbs by replacing rice with riced cauliflower in this satisfying chicken fried rice recipe.

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The tangy lemon-caper sauce in this healthy Italian makeover recipe is a natural with shrimp. Serving it over zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) keeps the dish summery and low-cal, but it's also delicious with whole-wheat spaghetti.