Chicken Parmesan is one of the dishes at every Italian restaurant in the US. I know why: it's delicious! My low carb keto chicken parmesan recipe is fast, grain free, gluten-free, & and kid-approved!
Chicken Parmesan is one of those dishes on the menu at every Italian restaurant across America. It is a classic and there is a good reason, it's delicious! But... it can be very labor-intensive to make it at home.
Is Chicken Parmesan Keto?
Traditional chicken parm is pretty with flour, egg, and bread crumbs. It is not keto because of the flour and bread crumbs. But it is very easy to swap out those ingredients for keto friendly parmesan cheese in the breading.
Ingredients in Chicken Parm
- chicken breasts - if they are very large cut in half into thinner cutlets
- egg - binds the topped to the chicken
- grated parmesan cheese - this replaces the bread crumbs in the traditional recipe
- dried minced garlic & onion - feel free to substitute very finely minced fresh garlic and onion if you choose
- dried oregano, basil, & parsley - you can substitute an Italian seasoning blend instead of the individual herbs but I prefer to add the ones we like separately
- freshly ground black pepper & salt
- marinara sauce - make your own or check store-bought for added sugar
- shredded mozzarella - sliced works too!
How to make Keto Chicken Parmesan
The lazy way to make chicken parm is to just bread it and then bake it in the oven. Since the coating is flourless you can just bake it without pan-frying it first. That cuts the prep down to about 10 minutes. As much as I enjoy being in the kitchen I also love easy prep meals.
First Step: Dip a chicken breast into a beaten egg. Coat in the parmesan cheese mixture. Place in a greased casserole dish. I normally just drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of my baking dish. Repeat.
Second Step: Bake the chicken at 400 for 30 minutes.
Expert Tip: This time is for using whole medium-large chicken breasts. If you are making this with thin cutlets or chicken tenderloins only bake for 15 minutes before adding the sauce and cheese. If your chicken breasts are gigantic cut them in half first.
Third Step: After par-cooking the chicken top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Fourth Step: Bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until the chicken reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer and the cheese is melted.
Expert Tip: Broil for 2-3 minutes, watching constantly, to get a nice browned look on the cheese.
How to make Chicken Parmesan without Bread Crumbs
I simply use a combination of parmesan cheese and herbs instead of traditional bread crumb breading in my keto chicken parmigiana.
Keto Chicken Parm Tips
- Do not overcook the keto parmesan chicken. Please buy a digital meat thermometer if you do not own one. This is the key to enjoying tender and juicy chicken. Only cook it until it is 158-160 degrees and then let it rest.
- Use a delicious marinara sauce. Marinara sauce is not all the same. In a simple dish like this, you can really taste the difference between homemade and store-bought and between cheap store-bought tomato sauce and quality sauce. Since you only need a little bit this is a time to splurge on the good stuff.
- If you want to give this a kick mix some red pepper flakes into your pasta sauce before adding it.
What to serve with Baked Chicken Parmesan
Our favorite side dish for keto chicken parmesan is my homemade caesar salad. Other great side dish options are roasted green beans, garlic broccoli, balsamic mushrooms, or zucchini noodles!
Or for a vegetarian version sub the chicken for cauliflower and try my Cauliflower Parmesan.
I hope your whole family loves this lazy baked keto chicken parmesan!