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.