Keto Chicken Parmesan
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!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Joy Filled Eats
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.
I’ll never forget one Saturday when we first got married that we invited over some friends for dinner and decided to make chicken parm at the last minute. Not the brightest idea. I was still breading and pan-frying the chicken when the company arrived. And then it needed to bake for 45 minutes. I think we finally ate dinner after 8. Oops!
I promise this baked low carb gluten free chicken parmesan is much easier. It is a perfect easy keto diet dinner and a favorite chicken recipe among my whole family.
Ingredients
Chicken breasts – If they are very large cut in half into thinner chicken cutlets.
Egg – Egg binds the topping to the chicken.
Grated parmesan cheese – Parmesan replaces the bread crumbs in the traditional recipe.
Dried minced garlic & onion – Feel free to substitute very finely minced fresh garlic and onion or garlic powder and onion powder.
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 – Enhances the other flavors of the chicken.
Marinara sauce – Make your own or check store-bought for added sugar.
Shredded mozzarella – Sliced works too!
Want to try a chicken breaded with ground pork rinds? Try my Keto Breaded Chicken Breast.
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 the beaten egg mixture. 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.
Top 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 golden brown look on the cheese.
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. Watch for added sugar in jarred sauces when buying them for keto recipes. 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.
Common Questions
Is Chicken Parmesan Keto?
Traditional chicken parmesan is coated 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.
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. Coconut flour or almond flour will not give the same result. Crushed pork rinds work a bit better than the low carb flours.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, if you want to. I prefer the milder flavor of boneless skinless chicken breasts in this low carb chicken parmesan recipe but boneless skinless chicken thighs will work fine.
Can I make this in the air fryer?
Sure. Just grease the air fryer basket and add the chicken in a single layer. When it is 80% cooked add the sauce and cheese.
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, cauliflower rice, 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!
Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook and Instagram! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & a 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
Video
Keto Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 lb chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tbsp dried minced garlic
- 1/2 tbsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil
- 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- pinch salt
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 6 oz shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Beat egg in one small wide bowl. In a second bowl combine the parmesan cheese with all the spices and mix.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then the cheese, coating both sides. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 min. You want to chicken to be about 145-150 degrees before you add the sauce and the cheese.
- Top each piece with sauce and then shredded mozzarella. Bake for another 5-10 min until the chicken is 160 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer and the cheese is melted and bubbly. You can broil for a minute or two at the end to brown the cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
For more Italian-inspired Keto Dinner Recipes try these:
Originally Published March 7, 2016. Revised and Republished with October 13, 2023.
The blog portion states to use a casserole dish, but the recipe portion says a baking sheet with foil? Seeking clarification. Making this now. What will produce better results?
Either is fine, really. If I’m making for company I use a casserole dish for a better presentation. If it’s just for my immediate family I’ll do a pan with foil for easier clean up.
I try not to cook with tin foil especially if it touches the food and find parchment paper works just as well. cleanup is just as easy and nothing sticks to the paper.
I use parchment most of the time too. I get big rolls at Costco and it is quite a bit cheaper.
Delicious & much easier than pan frying, but where are the nutritional facts listed?
Need to know how many carbs per serving.
They are at the bottom of the recipe card. There are 6 servings.
Nutrition for 1 serving
Calories: 442 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 209mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 1036mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 620IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 362mg | Iron: 2mg
I made the recipe last night and it came out absolutely delicious – full of flavor and juicy! Possibly one of the best chicken parmesan dishes I’ve ever had. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you so much, Adam!
Can this be frozen and reheated? Thank you
Yes, just make sure to only cook the chicken to exactly 160 degrees. I’d suggest taking it out around 155-158 and letting it rest to come up to 160.
Loved it! Winner, winner… chicken dinner. Thanks for the great recipe!
Absolutely D-lish! I accidentally used shredded parmesan instead of grated, but still turned out amazing! I served over spaghetti squash and with green beans. YUM!
Made this 8/10/20 – Wow, Wow!!! Another great recipe! Soooo good and I can’t remember the last time I made such an easy recipe! This one is going on regular rotation in my house. What I did different: I baked the chicken for 25 minutes (it was done) then I broied it for a few minutes to get the tops browned and crispy. Added the marinara and cheese then broiled again to get the cheese nice and melty. Done and sooo delicious!! Definitely add this one to your favorite recipes.
Made this for dinner! Big hit.
However I tweaked the recipe a little by using almond flour. But it’s a fantastic recipe!
So…To crisp up the chicken…another option to use instead of not bread crumbs’ is:
Almond flour. Mix the herbs and cheese with a little almond flour then coating the chicken in that and bake.
Also, at Costco there’s keto bread now. Could brush bread in butter & garlic before baking the bread into a crisp, then crunching that into breadcrumbs. Just a couple options to change it up a little!
This is such an easy and fantastic recipe! Making it again tonight. I also wanted to let you know that your older comments aren’t showing up on several recipes on your site. So sorry for leaving another comment. Thank you so much for sharing this delectable recipe!!!
Thank you! I fixed the comment issue 🙂
My boyfriend and I loved it! Thanks for the great recipe..I know it’ll be something I make often!
This is DELICIOUS! I’ve made it at least half a dozen times and it’s always delicious and very satisfying. And not a lot of prep, so quick and easy! Thank you!
Made this for my family and oh my goodness it was amazing!! I used fresh, sliced mozzarella which made the entire thing so much more delectable!! 10/10
Hi I am new to keto. This recipe is soooooooooooooo good. Definitely on the repeat list. Thank you for sharing.
I LOVE this recipe, it tastes better than with bread crumbs. My husband really liked it and he’s not a keto follower
Is this heart healthy and diabetic healthy ?
I think so but I’m not a doctor. It is gluten-free and low carb.
I am not a medical professional of any kind. I do have Type 2 diabetes, and potential heart problems given my family history so I have done a lot of research on my own and also noticed what kind of diet lowers my triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar. A low carb diet keeps my blood sugar low, and I don’t worry about how much of healthy fat (meaning, no corn or soy oil, just olive or avocado oil and of course no transfats) I eat. My blood panels improve markedly when I eat this way, plus my cravings diminish and I lose weight and heartburn disappears.