Keto Chicken Parmesan doesn’t get any easier than this! Crispy coated chicken, delicious tomato sauce, and plenty of melty cheese!
When Chad and I first married, I was happy to try out new recipes.
I had literally never even heard of chicken Parmesan the first time he requested it for dinner, but I jumped right in and it’s been a favorite dinner of his ever since.
This keto chicken Parmesan is actually super easy and quick to throw together and the chicken comes out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, just like traditional chicken parmesan.
You can serve this with a side of zoodles or our Instant Pot spaghetti squash, if you like the pasta vibes. Otherwise, this is absolutely delicious with our roasted cauliflower rice and a Caesar salad made with our keto Caesar dressing.
Ingredient Notes:
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Chicken – This classic chicken recipe starts with some thin sliced chicken breast. You can buy this already sliced thin or buy the standard chicken breasts and slice them yourself.
Breading – We’re keeping things low carb here, so we skip the stand breadcrumbs and use a mixture of crushed pork rinds and Parmesan cheese. That gets seasoned with garlic powder and onion powder and an egg helps hold it to the chicken. It’s a savory mix that’ll add a similar texture to traditional chicken parm.
Mozzarella – You’ll finish this recipe off by topping it with add some freshly grated mozzarella cheese!
Marinara – Go for the good stuff! We love Rao’s Marinara which has no sugar added and is super tasty! It’s perfect for this chicken marinara recipe!
We use Thrive Market for a lot of our specialty ingredients and keto snacks or products. Their prices tend to be cheaper than the local stores and I love that you can so easily sort products by diet.
Like Costco, this is a membership site, but we find that it’s more than worth it based on the amount we save over the regular grocery store.
They have monthly or yearly plans. Check it out here.
- Comfort Food: Chicken Parmesan is a classic comfort food that many of us grew up eating. No need to give it up now, thanks to our low carb breading!
- Easy Peasy: Breading chicken only takes about 10 minutes and then you’l pop it in a hot oven. This one is simple!
- Versatile: If you’re living with a family full of carb lovers, go ahead and serve this with a side of pasta for them! You can enjoy some spiralized zucchini or shredded spaghetti squash in place of the carbs.
How To:
- Breading – First, we’re going to need to coat our chicken in the crunchy coating. Traditionally, chicken Parmesan is coated in bread crumbs, but you’re going to love my hack: Pork rinds! They add the perfect amount of crunch, zero carbs, and the perfect flavor! It doesn’t get much easier than this either.
- Coat – Crush the pork rinds and mix them with a bit of the powdery Parmesan cheese and seasoning. Dip your chicken in some beaten egg and then dip the chicken in the pork rinds. Make sure you really press the pork rinds into the chicken so the crust adheres to the meat. This keto chicken Parmesan coating is super easy but also super tasty!
- Bake – Pop the crushed pork rind breaded chicken breasts onto a greased cookie sheet and bake the chicken for about 20 minutes. You’ll finish it off with the sauce and cheese next before a quick final bake!
- Sauce – Remove the baked Parmesan chicken from the oven and spoon your favorite marinara sauce over the top of each piece of chicken. You can use as much or as little as you like!
- Cheese – Sprinkle some freshly grated mozzarella over the top and pop the dish back in the oven for another 5 minutes. By then the cheese will be perfectly melted over the marinara sauce and the chicken should be nice and crispy! You can serve this keto chicken marinara as is, with a side salad, or my Italian cauliflower salad.
Breading Tips & Tricks:
Be sure to use the powdery Parmesan cheese for the most coverage on your chicken!
To crush the pork rinds, we find it works best to pulverize them in a food processor or blender, so that you have nice, fine crumbs. If you have big chunks, they won’t crisp up or coat the chicken as nicely.
To keep the breading from sticking to your hands, keep one hand for the wet ingredients (egg wash) and one hand for the dry ingredients (breading). As you transfer the chicken out of the egg, switch hands to coat it in the breading.
FAQs:
You can keep this low carb chicken Parmesan in the refrigerator for about 4 days. To reheat, we find it crisps up best in an air fryer.
It is! Since we’re using crushed pork rinds for the ubreading, there is no gluten to be found in this recipe. Enjoy without worry!
More Low Carb Italian Recipes:
- Lasagna Stuffed Chicken: Hard to go wrong with this cheesy chicken!
- Keto Alfredo Sauce: Oh yeah, you can definitely have Alfredo on a low carb diet!
- Keto Pork Tenderloin: So easy and it’s seasoned with garlic butter!
- Air Fryer Crustless Pizza: Enjoy pizza flavors without the carbs!
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole: It’s like a spaghetti casserole but with squash!
- Bruschetta Chicken: Fresh tomatoes, onion, basil, and marinara over chicken!
- Keto Garlic Shrimp: Ready in no time!
Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 thin sliced chicken breasts
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 cups crushed pork rinds
- ½ cup powdered Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup marinara
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon minced basil or parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
- Add the eggs to a shallow dish.
- Add the pork rinds, Parmesan, garlic powder, and onion powder to a second shallow dish and stir to combine.
- Dip each chicken breast into the egg and then the pork rinds. Be sure to press the pork rinds into the chicken so that the crust adheres to the meat.
- Place the chicken on the prepared baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and spread the marinara evenly over each piece of chicken.
- Sprinkle with the mozzarella.
- Return the chicken to the oven for 5 more minutes or until the temperature reaches 165 degrees and the cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle with minced basil or parsley before serving.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Debra says
A big hit!!
My family loved this!! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs from Costco and I used regular Parmesan cheese instead of powdered. For those that have asked, you can’t taste the pork rinds, it just makes it crispy. I also broiled the chicken for about 2 mins at the end to brown the cheese.
Terri Larimore says
What I use for breading besides the pork rinds? I am sorry but I just don’t like them.
Karly Campbell says
I don’t have another option for this recipe.
Rita says
Hi, Terri:
I, too, hate pork rinds, and just the thought of eating them makes me feel nauseous. HOWEVER, I purchased a jar of “Pork King Good, Pork Rind Crumbs” (see above), and I’ve been using it instead of any type of flour or breadcrumbs for the past 2 years. I season them with whatever spices are called for with whichever particular dish I want to make, and the meals always turn out great. You might want to give it a go. Good luck!
Harold Burton says
Wow, you have such stunning photos! And these stuffed bell pepers – YUM! These have been on my bucket list for so long – thanks for pushing me to finally give it a try!
Molly says
Oh my gosh this is THE BEST tasting Parmesan Chicken! Very easy to make and is delicious! My whole family loved it! It’s a WINNER!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Molly!
Rebecca says
Could you use the crispy French onions?
Karly Campbell says
As the breading? I’ve never tried. They’ll add more carbs and will definitely add a stronger flavor to the chicken if you do.
Dawn Seevers says
Do you know if you can bread the chicken ahead of time and refrigerate to cook at a later time?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Dawn! I’m not sure…I think the breading might get a bit soggy, but I’ve never tried.
Tanya says
I’ve made this a couple times now and found a marinara at Walmart that is only 5 net carbs per half cup. Victoria Trading Company tomato basil and it’s pretty good.
Hannah Flack says
Those meatballs sound so delicious!! White chicken chili sounds good, too. It’s funny how the week that I can’t meal plan (due to traveling) I’m itching to do so!!
Karly Campbell says
Same here!! When I can’t cook, I want to. When I have to cook, I’d rather die. 🙂
Patricia says
Made this before my husband raves about it He ♥️ It making again tonight
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that!
Vanda Hart says
I made this today and my husband and children who don’t eat low carb loved it, they didn’t realize it wasn’t breadcrumbs! I used pork panko so I didn’t need to crush my own.
Gail says
Is it store bought marinara or do you give a recipe for that as well?
Karly Campbell says
I use store bought. Haven’t been able to create one that is better than Rao’s with the same amount or less carbs yet. 🙂
Sally says
What is a thin sliced chicken breast? Do you purchase this way or have to slice yourself? Also wondering if you you pound the chicken into thin pieces?
Thanks in advance!
Karly Campbell says
Hi Sally! You can purchase it sliced thin or just slice it thin yourself. Either works! I just take a regular sized chicken breast and basically butterfly it, but cut all the way through to form two thinner pieces. It cooks quicker and more evenly that way. You could also just pound it out if you prefer.
Rubi Kaur says
Looks delicious ! I was wondering if you could post recipes for school lunches? I’m trying to eat healthier while trying to balance out homework and exercise and I would like some simple, quick and healthy lunch recipes. Thanks