Breadsticks! The sticky breads of life. The life of bread in stick form. The… well, you get it. Sometimes you just want something crunchy to munchy or you want something flippin’ fab for dippin’. No matter the reason or the seasoning, there’s something to be said for the scrumptious side.
I’ll bet you could stop nosebleeds with them. OK. Maybe not, but you could stop hunger pangs.
This recipe is so easy and delicious (just like my easy gluten free pizza crust with similar ingredients) you’ll never guess what it’s made from. I’m not telling. You’ll have to see for yourself. I’m kind of an enabler that way. Just look at the way the bread stick caresses the pizza sauce in the image below.
Why pizza sauce? We’re talking a very low carb red sauce that’s thinner, only contains 3 net carbs per generous 1/4 cup, doesn’t contain sugar (check the label) and is easy to deck out. Below I use a little grated Parm and chopped basil to bring the magic.
One more. Are you ready? If anyone guesses the ingredients these are made from, prepare to be shocked, because people here thought they were bread. That’s right… bread. The batch literally disappeared in minutes. I am thinking I’m going to be making many more runs to the store for chicken breasts. Who knew?
Just a few tips and suggestions:
- Leaner meat is your friend. Think boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and not dark meat. I tried this 1:1 ratio of chicken and cheese with other fattier meats and the fat coagulates, making this a less pleasant dish. The cheese adds enough fat (even low fat mozzarella) that you want lean protein.
- Make sure to mince cooked, lean chicken prior to processing with the cheese. I use my Ninja, but a food processor or an amazing blender, or a sharp knife can do the same thing. Don’t over-process. You just want a fine shred, not pate.
- You will use a processor twice for this recipe: Once to process the chicken into fine shreds, and again to incorporate the cheese into the blend.
- If you are dairy free, try using an egg and 1/4 cup flax seed meal (adjust as needed) instead of cheese as binding agents.
- If you are vegetarian, you could replace chicken with a non-meat protein.
- Parchment paper is your friend, but I was able to make this recipe in small, nonstick bread pans without it. If you grease your pan, you can use butter, but the parchment just makes nonstick so much nicer.
- If your breadsticks come out moist, you can pop them back into the oven and cook slightly longer. You can pop the breadsticks out of the pan and onto a cookie sheet for faster baking.
- Added: Keep the breadsticks to no more than 1/2″ thick or so to help them bake faster. I thought mine were an inch thick, but my husband told me they were closer to 1/2″.
- This crust is gluten free and Atkins induction friendly.
- I use cooked chicken for this crust. It was easier to handle, shredded up better, and, since it was already cooked, I didn’t have to worry about under cooking.
Now for the cursory, unfortunately obnoxious moment where I implore my work to not be taken:
I hate to have to even ask this, but if you are tempted to, please don’t publish any of my recipes elsewhere. If you make obvious changes to the recipe to call it your own (don’t just double the amount of ingredients, change the meat or add lame spice tweaks), please rename the recipe and link back here to give credit to the original. It’s frighteningly depressing that I have to even make this request. Read more here for tips about attribution and how to properly follow it.
Ready? Let’s make the happiness!
Easiest Breadsticks Ever
1 packed cup cooked, minced chicken breast
1 cup packed mozzarella, shredded
1 Tbsp parsley, dried
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Process chicken and cheese together. Mixture will resemble a meal/thick, dense crumb consistency.
3. Firmly press chicken/cheese mixture to 1/2″ thick into non-stick, miniature bread pans, about 4X8″ (if you have a regular pan, you can spray and line with parchment for easy removal and use that instead).
4. Top with parsley, basil, onion and garlic powder.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Let cool for five minutes in pan.
7. Invert onto a cooling rack until fully cooled.
8. Slice and serve.
Makes a hell of a lot of breadsticks.
Nutritional information per 1/8 batch: Calories: 96.9, Carbohydrates: .5 g , Fiber: 0 g, Net Carbohydrates: .5 g , Protein: 11.9 g, Fat: 5g.
These look & sound so yummy. Thanks for sharing I’m excited to try them.
I hope you like them! We’ve really loved these.
Oh my goodness, Jamie..The neat part of these sticks is that they aren’t floppy..
Stopping by the store for chicken this afternoon..
Can I just check how roughly the thickness is? – they look about 1 inch deep but thought id check.
I’d say they’re about an inch thick for sure.
I knew there was a reason I got more chicken at the store last night! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m going to buy more chicken and cheese today!
when you say miniature bread pans – do you mean loaf pans????
I do! They’re probably half the size of standard loaf pans. You could use regular loaf pans, too, however. I would line those with parchment to be safe.
These look wonderful – my wheels are churning already, thinking about a pizza crust option…
Hi, Donna! That option already exists: https://yourlighterside.com/easy-pizza-crust/ Ta daaa! LOL… That was easy. Phew.
Can I use rice cheese in place of the dairy cheese? My son is gluten free and can’t have dairy. Just found your site–do you make anything without chicken?! 😉
I would try a small batch to see if it would work. That way if it doesn’t you’re still OK. I think soy cheese might work here, too, instead of the cheese.
Looks fantastic!
You are amazing! How would it possibly ever dawn on you to use chicken and cheese to make bread??!! I can’t wait to try both these and the pizza!
Forever grateful!
Ooooooh, this looks yummy !!! I’m thinking “pizza crust” too !!! Like maybe a buffalo-chicken pizza.
I can see a food processor in my near future. So many yummy recipes to try !
Thanks once again, Jamie ! YOU are da-bomb.com 😉
I think i’ve done something wrong – mine have been in for 35 minutes and are still soggy.
I used a slightly different tray but still no more than 1″ thick.
There are no liquids in the recipe to make it wet. I boiled my chicken since I need broth, diced it and let it “dry” out in the fridge overnight. Then I doubled the meat & cheese and left the dry ingredients the same, popped everything in batches in my little processor and had breadmeal? I then sprayed my pans and pressed it down until it was half.
Tastes like chicken but excellent with salsa =)
Tastes like what? What? Chicken? Noooooooo! Yours sounds really delicious.
We just bought almost 10 pounds of chicken, can’t wait to try these and the pizza crust. You are a genius!!!
Made them for my snack today. Delicious. Shared recipe and your link, and also pinned-to your website of course!
Thank you for sharing with us.
I love you for this. I miss breadsticks!
Thank you! I hope you like them.
How ingenious! I’ll be picking up some bird tomorrow! Thank you!!!!
Hi, I made these. They were very tasty; however they tasted alot like seasoned ground chicken. I will try the egg and flaxseed meal substitution next time.
I swear I couldn’t taste the chicken and I hate chicken. Maybe some added spices? Try Mrs. Dash’s Garlic Basil seasoning and make the breadsticks only 1/2″ thick.
Ohhh Jamie.. this looks far to good to be true.. but sweetie you have never led me wrong yet!!!!… so this I sure will give a try…hopefully today.
huggs and do keep up the great work
You continue to amaze me! Maybe you are the Macgiver of the low carb world? *snort* Give you a paperclip, a chicken breast and piece of tape and I bet you could make a helicopter that would break you out of any South American prison. Then afterward, once you were home safely in your kitchen, you could eat.
Cheers woman!
Oh WOW!!!!
It is a REALLY good thing that today is shopping day. Am looking forward to trying it.
I discovered yesterday that maltinol should not be used while in induction phase. Pitty, I had just made a batch of granola with it.It will sit until I am closer to my goal. But I finally lost some weight! YEA
Later
JoAnn
Wow! I keep coming back to your page to look at this picture. It makes my mouth water! Thanks for the great recipe and pictures.
I was just at your site doing the same thing, literally 30 minutes ago!
You are my hero! These are so scrumptious! I did cook mine at 1/2 thick for 40 minutes and they were still quite moist. But they held up to dipping which fulfilled bread stick experience!
I live in a dry, high elevation climate, so that could be a contributing factor. I am still glad they turned out well for you. Yay!
These are AWESOME!! Girl, you are just plain brilliant… I tweaked the spices a little to make these ok for a renal diet (my partner is on dialysis). I’d love to share the recipe with the nutritionist and the patients at the dialysis center – how do I legally do that?
Tried this recipe today… so simple, and taste great! My girlfriend liked them with ranch, but I’m more interested in that pizza sauce you mentioned :). I checked the Sauces in the cookbook section, but didn’t find any red sauces. If you have any good tips to share on LC pasta/pizza sauces or alternatives, I’d love to hear. Cheers…
Hey, Kurt! I LOVE that you asked this, and I’m glad you guys like the breadsticks! I am an absolute fan of store brand pizza sauces. Not only are they inexpensive, but they come in glass (which means no questionable can liner), are thinner in consistency, and they’re only 3 net carbs per quarter cup! Be sure to check labels, however;m some sauces contain sugar, but those tend to be the more expensive brands.
cant find asuger free sauce I did get walmarts today but it is 4carbs and 3 sugar in a 1/4 cup so guess i will have to keep looking
The sauce has natural sugar in it when it’s tomato-based. You just want to make sure there’s no added sugar or corn syrup on top of that. Your carbs per quarter cup sound about right.
Hey Cleo, do you have any pictures in progress? I do not have a food processor and was wondering what mincing it with a knife would look like. Sort of a picture show like what you have on making the Oopsies???
Hi, Monica! It would look essentially as chopped up as you can make it. The finer the cut the better, since it will help the meat and cheese integrate. I didn’t take pictures of the process, though. I will next time!
Thank you girl! I will try to pick apart like Shredded meat??? I think that would get the texture you are talking about.
Alright, girlfriend! I made three “pizza” crusts on Friday, but I only made 2 pizzas. I cooked (then broiled each side to get it really good and crisp, but that’s another story) and put this third crust in the freezer. Tonight with our ribeyes, I had cheesy breadsticks on the brain, a la Pizza Hut style. Thawed that crust, threw it on a cookie sheet, covered it heavily in mozzarella then sprinkled it with garlic powder, then broiled it until nice and bubbly brown (looked JUST like Pizza Hut!) I used the pizza cutter to make the crust into sticks, and I served these with pizza sauce AND homemade ranch, because we eat ranch on everything in Texas. I’m telling you, it was great! I could easily make a meal just out of “bread”sticks! Thanks so much for it.
I am so glad you like the recipe, and your outcome sounds wonderful! I want some. 😛
I’m thrilled to be able to find great recipes for the things I miss most!
However, in order to print the recipes out can be a challenge!
When I went to print out this recipe I printed only page 1 so I could see how much was on a page and how many pages there were.
I’m glad I did this b/c if I had clicked “all” it would have printed 13 pages!
The recipe and notes are all I wanted and I had to print page by page to make sure that was all I got.
Is there some way to click on print and have a separate screen come up with just the recipe? That procedure is what most other sites offer.
Thanks, again, for all the work you put into getting these wonderful recipes to us! I truly appreciate it!
Lee, that is an excellent point–and a great tip! I am hoping to suss that out here, this weekend. I usually use a plug-in that has some pretty impressive capabilities, but when I changed sites I left it behind. As soon as I have the kinks worked out, I will put that old print program back. On the old site CPU was an issue, so I had to obliterate as many plug-ins as possible; unfortunately, that was one of them…
I haven’t read all the posts so someone may have answered this question. Is the chicken raw? If it is cooked before shredding, how is it cooked?
Hi, Lee! The chicken is cooked and then processed.
Hi how is the chicken cooked? Is it boiled, grilled, baked?
Any way you cook it is fine, but I personally prefer baked.
can you tell me how many 4×8 pans are needed for what the recipe yields? Thank you!!!
I am thinking you’d want three-four pans depending on the thickness of the bread stick you want. I have two bread pans and I just tend to cook in more batches.
This looks fantastic! I can almost taste it now! 🙂
I got re-directed to this site because I was looking for gluten-free recipes…now I think I might stick around for a bit and have a look at your other stuff!
One question though, I don’t really have any bread pans, can I use a tray that I normally use for making chocolate slice? (totally not healthy, but fabulous). It’s about 12 x 16 inches.
Thanks! 🙂
You bet! And since the recipe isn’t wet, you can form the sticks into any shape you’d like in pretty much any pan. I am so glad you’re here! I have literally hundreds of gluten free recipes, and I’m adding more every day.
Was wondering if I could make this with turkey instead? We don’t eat chicken. Thanks for this amazing recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
You can totally make this with turkey. White turkey meat is super dry, too, which helps the recipe bind together better.
Thanks! Super stoked now!
I’m glad you asked, Terry. I totally want to try this with turkey, so if you have some time to shoot me your results, I’d love to hear them!
Do you think this would work with chicken from a can?
It definitely will. Just be sure to drain off all liquids. You want the driest protein possible. 🙂
Mine breadsticks do not look like yours! LOL! I pressed them too thin. But you said your recipe makes bunches of them. How small are you cutting them? I used one cup of minced chicken and the shredded mozz but I only was able to get a few sticks
Hi, Cindy! I think mine end up being like 1/2″ x 1/2″? Or 3/4″ x 3/4″? They were pretty tiny…
I was wondering how to store these if you have leftovers, can’t wait to try these and thanks so much for all the great recipes!
Hi, Melissa! I would probably store these in the fridge if there are any left, due to the chicken. They then tend to disappear pretty quickly, though!
I made several mistakes by misreading the instructions XD I was flipping from here to there looking at different recipes 😛 BUT! BUT! They are finally done! Whodathunk cauliflower would taste like this!?!?!?! Mine remind me of fish sticks O.o I love fish sticks… maybe add tuna next time and see what happens or some chopped cod! Add it to your ‘To Do List’! Cauliflower Fish Sticks!!! Much <3
I never thought about fish sticks with cauliflower. It is surely something to ponder! You’re clever… Clever I say.
Are we supposed to season the chicken before cooking or not until mixed with cheese .
Hi there! I don’t season until mixing with the cheese, since, during baking, I find the seasonings aren’t as potent as they are during the second process (making the cheese sticks).
happy new year!!! i spend(t) way too many hours surfing the lc web last year and must say, your site is the funniest, cleverest, most comprehensive and all around best as far as i’m concerned! thank you for enriching my life 🙂
i think that i read through all the comments and i don’t believe that i saw anything regarding freezing. can i freeze these? after they’re cooked? i have a free range pastured chicken that i dried out by leaving in the crock pot forever…..thinking of pulling off the meat and processing away. i will make personal pan pizza crusts and bread sticks if appropriate. what do you think?
once again, thank you Jamie- you’re the best and congratulations on your absolutely amazing loss!!!
Hi there, Aimee! Thank you so much for your kind words! I truly appreciate them! I would say you can freeze these after cooking, absolutely.
What about using lean ground chicken meat instead of chicken breasts??
Hi there! As long as it’s low-fat, I say it’s terrific! The fat tends to coagulate. It’s not pretty.
do you know where I can get sugar free pizza sauce? or do you have a recipe? I looked through your site and didn’t see it.. but I can rarely find my car keys so there’s that 😉
You are brilliant! I have tried a lot of pizza and bread and cracker substitutes and this nails it. I was very skeptical but they came out just like the picture ! Glad I found your site – have been on the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) for ulcerative colitis for 11 years and just found you. Used provolone and Parmesan because mozzarella is not legal on SCD. Delicious, thank you.
This morning I finally tried these little gems. I was very skeptical ! ! !
I divided the recipe into 8 equal “egg rings” on a silicone mat…I wanted individual portions.
The result was DELIGHTFUL! I had 4 crisp on the outside, a little chew on the inside, hand held breakfast spicy yumminess’s!! I had to store the other 4 in the frig so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the rest ! ! !
THANK YOU 🙂
Awesome!!!
Just wanted to let you know that this recipe is WONDERFUL as the “muffin” part of Eggs Benedict. I bake the recipe in a square, cut the square into fourths, and then top with Canadian bacon, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. I don’t really care for oopsie rolls so this was awesome!! Gives the egg something to soak into!
OMG these are amazing. My son that hates anything “gluten free” can’t get enough of these. Thanks so much
You are welcome 🙂
Made these ‘THEY WERE FANTASTIC!’ I ALSO made a “deep dish” pizza using this recipe and all I can say is WOW (probably since my mouth is full!) ALSO if you add some minced jalapeno peppers……WOW
Awesome!!
I just made these, amazing! I used grilled chicken breast from the grocery store, and added a few dashes of Tabasco to the mix. Dipped in blue cheese dressing they are the perfect thing for my buffalo chicken finger cravings 🙂
I found these to taste too much like chicken! The texture was great though and would make a nice chicken fingers recipe.
Your pizza recipe on the other hand may the best one out there!
Thank you!
These really tasted nothing like bread; more like chicken meatloaf. My standards may be too high though, since I am not on a low carb or gluten free diet. Mine also did not crisp up except around the very edges. So the texture was like a chicken burger. However, the brand of mozzarella I used was wetter than usual, somewhere between normal mozz and fresh mozz. Maybe that contributed. I would give these 1 more try – with a drier mozz and patted into individual sticks on a parchment lined sheet pan, to maximize crispy edges. But at least tonight I’d have been happier with all that cheese melted on a saucy chicken breast; rather than hidden inside where you can’t taste it. But love the creativity behind these!
Might be a day or so. Gotta shop! But will definitely post reviews.
Turkey is a perfect substitute! They are a little chewier than I expected but still taste great. Could be my oven. I’m definitely down for making them for dipping and even for the pizza crust! Thanks!
I cannot wait to make these but I as wondering…. has anyone tried to make them on a cookie sheet and not loaf pans? I’m not sure why loaf pans are best. Sorry for being dense about it. I’m all about easy clean up and one step and one pan to wash sounds better than 2 loaf pans and batches.
That being said, I am new to the low carb mindset. For me it’s to get my blood sugars under control. My darling husband is along for the ride only to show his undying love and support. Though that doesn’t stop him from moaning “b r e a d” in his sleep. He’s happy if I keep him fed and these look like a perfect snack for him.
This site was recommended to me and I can’t thank them enough for the recommendation and YOU for the fabulous recipes!
Margie
Hello – I am just wondering if processed means putting the chicken in the food processor/blender?? sorry – novice here! But they sound yummy!!
My kiddos thought these were delicious! However, I am dairy and soy free (as well as gluten free). Do you have a suggestion for a cheese replacement? Egg whites? Nutritional yeast? Anything else?
I was wondering if the breadsticks would work using ground chicken? I have some in my fridge I wanted to use. Thanks for your help and for sharing this awesome looking recipe!!!
It kind of sounds to me like you used ground raw chicken instead of cooked ground chicken? If not, then I’m clearly way off.
The only reason I mention it is because I had to re-read the recipe to see that it was processed pre-cooked chicken and not raw chicken. I was so confused about how this brilliant blogger lady was getting these amazingly dry and bread-y sticks out of chicken burger. But, as is too often the case, I was wrong and she was using already cooked chicken.
I haven’t made the recipe, but I just thought that if you made the same mistake I would have made had I read the recipe only once, you should try it again! 🙂
Hey there! I added an extra note under the notes section just to clarify further. Thanks so much for the heads up, Taryn! you kick the hiney!
That’s perfectly fine. I’ll be here. 😀
Thank you so much for your feedback! I love it!
Hi, Margie! The loaf pans have taller walls and facilitate smaller, thicker bread sticks. In a standard pan it’s slightly more difficult to achieve the uniform shape you can in a pan. That said, you could use a cookie sheet and keep a consistent depth and shape for the product, the result should be equal baking throughout and a uniform product.
I am so glad you’re here and that you wrote. I am really excited about your journey! Remember to season that chicken–it really helps make these sticks taste like an Italian delight and not like chicken sticks.
Yes! Sorry about that. You place the chicken into a blender, food processor or chop it incredibly mince-ylike to process it. Thank you for asking for clarification!
You might be able to go with egg or soy cheese as a replacement. Flax is also a binding agent.
I would say so. Just make sure you’re removed as much liquid as possible, and use cooked chicken, processing it down as much as you can with the cheese.