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Keto chicken parmesan is such an easy and filling dinner – breaded chicken, sweet marinara, gooey mozzarella… what’s not to like? This low carb chicken parmesan recipe has the same authentic flavors, without all the carbs! And not only is it easy to make, but it’s made with a secret ingredient that ensures a crispy keto chicken parm crust that actually sticks. (Want a vegetarian take on chicken parm? Try cauliflower parmesan!)
Are you wondering what this secret ingredient is? Whey protein powder!
And why is the best low carb chicken parmesan recipe made with grass-fed whey protein powder? It’s perfect for dredging!
It is finer than most keto friendly flours (as much as I love my keto friendly flours!), making it ideal. It’s pretty common in breaded chicken recipes to dredge them in flour first, which makes the breading stick better. That’s obviously a no-go for a keto chicken parmesan recipe, but protein powder does the job just as well.
This keto friendly chicken parm recipe was originally published on May 23, 2018, and the post was republished in August 2020 to add useful tips.
And, making chicken parmesan low carb is much easier than it sounds! You just need three mixing bowls and one pan…
How To Make Keto Chicken Parmesan
How do you make this low carb baked chicken Parmesan recipe? Easy, peasy.
- Brine chicken. Like most my keto chicken recipes, start by brining the chicken in salt water. It’s the secret to super juicy chicken breast, no matter how you make it afterward!
- Prep breading. Arrange an assembly line of 3 bowls – protein powder, beaten eggs, and the breading – crushed pork rinds (make ’em using a mallet or a blender!), grated parmesan, Italian seasoning, and more whey, all mixed together.
- Even out chicken. Pat the chicken dry and pound with a mallet to even thickness. You don’t have to be super precise, just enough that the chicken cooks fairly evenly later.
- Bread chicken. Dredge each piece of chicken in protein powder (that just means roll it in there), and dip in the egg to coat all sides. Shake off the excess egg, then roll in the breading to cover.
TIP: Use two hands, one for the dry dredging and breading, and the other hand for the wet egg wash. This prevents your breading from getting soggy from egg-covered hands. You can also try shaking the bowl with the breading and chicken if it’s large.
- Preheat the oven. Make sure the oven is preheated before you begin frying the chicken, because you’ll bake it immediately after.
- Brown chicken. Fry the chicken for a couple minutes on each side.
TIP: Use an oven safe pan, so that it can go straight into the oven afterward!
- Top and bake. Top the chicken with marinara and shredded mozzarella cheese, then bake until the cheese is gooey and a little brown.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately. So good!
Low Carb Chicken Parmesan FAQs
Is chicken parmesan keto?
Regular chicken parmesan is not keto friendly, because the breading contains wheat.
This is a perfectly keto chicken parm recipe, though! Each (very filling) serving has just 3.9 grams net carbs. This Italian classic can fit your keto lifestyle!
Is there a substitute for the whey protein powder?
Yes. You can use coconut flour for dredging, and replace the whey in the breading with almond flour.
I did just that in my keto eggplant parmesan recipe.
Is there a substitute for the pork rinds?
Yes. You can use almond flour instead. However, the breading is less crispy this way.
Keto Chicken Parm Storage Instructions
Can you make it ahead?
Keto Parmesan chicken is best made fresh, but you can mix together the dry breading ingredients to help speed up the process when you make it.
How to store keto chicken parmigiana
Store leftover low carb chicken parm in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can keto parmesan chicken be frozen?
Yes, you can also freeze low carb chicken parm for 2-3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating instructions
Reheat keto parmesan crusted chicken in a 350 degree F oven or a hot skillet for best results. Microwaving it is not ideal, as it will end up mushy.
What To Serve With Low Carb Chicken Parm
Keto chicken parmesan goes well with so many things! Often times, I just serve it with a big low carb salad. Otherwise, there are plenty of low carb side dishes you can pair with it:
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower – Always a great side – for anything!
- Roasted Zucchini – Just 4 ingredients and 25 minutes total!
- Cauliflower Rice – Serve this low carb chicken parm recipe over a bed of cauliflower rice.
- Spaghetti Squash – One of the most classic ways to serve this dish is with pasta, so pair your baked low carb chicken parm with spaghetti squash!
More Keto Chicken Dinner Recipes
If you like this low carb chicken Parmesan recipe, you might also like some of these other keto chicken dinner recipes:
- Keto Chicken Tenders – Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Just 1 gram net carb per serving!
- Baked Chicken Drumsticks – 10 minutes to prep and these drumsticks turn out perfectly crispy each and every time!
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs – With creamy garlic flavor, these chicken thighs are fancy enough for guests, but easy enough for weeknights!
- Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers – Fun and easy twist on fajitas! Naturally low carb, keto friendly, paleo, and gluten-free.
- Slow Chicken Cacciatore – This healthy recipe has 2 prep time options, with all the classic Italian flavor.
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.Tools To Make
- Meat Mallet – Ensure that your chicken cooks evenly by pounding it with this meat mallet first. It’s a kitchen tool must!
- Oven-Safe Pan – Because we’re browning and baking the keto chicken parm, we need a pan that can go from stove to oven.
Low Carb Keto Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Low Carb Keto Chicken Parmesan Recipe
The best keto chicken parmesan recipe - with crispy breading! This cheesy, easy low carb chicken parmesan is made in one pan with simple ingredients.
Go Ad-FreeRecipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Fill a large bowl with warm water and 1-2 tablespoons of sea salt. Place chicken breasts inside and set aside to brine for at least 10-20 minutes (up to an hour).
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
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Arrange 3 medium bowls in a line:
1) For dredging: 1/4 cup protein powder
2) For dipping: Eggs, beaten
3) For breading: Crushed pork rinds, grated Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and remaining 1/4 cup protein powder, stirred together
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When the chicken is done brining, pat dry. Use a flat meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to even thickness, about 1/2 inch thick.
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Dredge each chicken breast in the protein powder, then dip in the egg, and finally roll in the Parmesan breading mixture to coat. Repeat with all the chicken breasts.
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Heat oil in a large oven-safe saute pan, over medium-high heat, until shimmery. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts in a single layer (they will be pretty crowded and touching, which is okay). Cook for about 2 minutes, until browned on the bottom. Carefully flip using a thin turner, and cook for 2 more minutes, until the other side is brown. Remove the pan from heat immediately.
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Right in the pan, top each chicken breast with 3 tbsp marinara sauce, then 3 tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese.
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Place the oven-safe pan into the preheated oven. Bake the Keto Chicken Parmesan for about 10 minutes, until the cheese starts to get golden spots and the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with fresh basil to serve, if desired.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 chicken breast with marinara & cheese toppings.
(This is a large serving and you can easily have half paired with a side dish.)
Video Showing How To Make Keto Chicken Parmesan:
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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74 Comments
Dee
0Can you use almond flour for this recipe?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dee, Yes, that should work.
Jill
0Just made this for the first time for dinner!! So good! Like that it’s all cooked in one pan. Really filling. We enjoyed very much. Will definitely make again.
Dave
0Holy Smokes! This recipe is absolutely delicious! We loved every bite.
Debora Washburn
0Soooooo good. I roasted some spaghetti squash and put some marinara sauce on it. My family couldn’t tell the difference between the pork rind breading from regular breading.
Justin
0If I don’t have an oven-safe pan can I transfer the chicken to a preheated glass or metal baking pan before baking?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Justin, Yes, that would also work.
Matt
0Just made this, it turned out so good. Best keto parmesan I’ve tried yet. Love how easy it is too. Thanks for all you do.
Matt
0Hi, sounds great. How man ounces should each chicken breast be? I have breasts that are about 8 ounces. Thanks for all you do.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Matt, The chicken breast you have should work just fine.
Lexington
0This is freaking unbelievably good. I always thought I couldn’t have stuff like this on keto. I was wrong! Maya, by far, this is the best chicken parmesan I’ve had period! A surefire winner!
Melanie
0Loved this recipe and my husband did too! I did use the recommended substitutions for the whey protein powder. I used Lucini Tuscan No Sugar added marinara sauce (found at WalMart) 3 net carbs per 1/2 cup
Chris
0I loved this recipe. I have done other versions of keto chicken parm and this is by far the easiest. And, I learned a great trick about using whey protein isolate as a substitute for flour as a binder for the “breading.” When I have deep fried or done pan sautéed or fried meats where I have wanted a coating for a little crunch and the protect the surface of the meat from the intense heat, I haven’t been satisfied because it tends to fall off unless there is at least a dusting of flour, which I have been trying to avoid. The whey protein isolate worked very well and I will now use this all the time. It is an awesome idea that I just never thought of before.
I changed this up just a bit. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts because I felt that I could skip the brining step because thighs stay very moist anyway. I just sprinted the thighs with Maldon salt and a little fresh ground pepper before pounding them out. I also liked the thighs because they produced a perfect portion, whereas a typical breast would be rather large for me. I also perked up the egg wash a bit by adding a dollop each of Calabrian chili and garlic paste, which added a burst of flavor and a hint of spice in the finished dish. And, to the breading I added some nut crumbs that I use in some other dishes that call for bread crumbs. This added another flavor component to the ground pork rinds, parmesan and seasoning. I used Rao’s marinara, which is my favorite jarred sauce. It is so flavorful and just 5 net carbs per 1/2 cup. I also used olive oil because I didn’t have any avocado oil.
Anyway…awesome dish. I loved it.
H L
0Delish! I used coconut flour instead of whey protein. I served with Palmini Linguine and it was perfect!
Sandra
0Glad you mention what to use in place of whey protein powder. The Isolate brand contains soy, which I don’t like to use. To me, soy is nothing more than a cheap filler in foods. Sorry to say this. To each their own. Will give this a rating after I make this recipe with one of the substitutions mentioned.
Chris
0To those concerned about Whey Protein Isolate is primary a milk product (hence the name whey in its name). They add a bit of soy lecithin to it as an antioxidant to protect the whey powder, so the soy content is very small. I keep Whey Protein Isolate in my pantry because it is used in a number of keto baked goods I have made.
Jay
0This is an amazing recipe I didn’t have any protein powder so used coconut flour and it worked great. Thank you so much Maya
kim
0I love this recipe! It was really easy to make and has the best flavor. I will definitely be making again and again!
CLARA BAKHSHI
0Looks delicious, I love lasagna and especially when it looks super cheesy like yours.
Dannii
0Chicken and cheese is such delicious comfort food. I can’t wait to try this.
Lata Lala
0This seems to be the best keto chicken parmesan recipe – with crisp layer! This is oh so cheesy, easy and made in one pan with simple ingredients. What more else could you ask for.
Jessica Formicola
0We had this for dinner last night and it was incredible! IT might just be my family’s new favorite chicken dinner!
Jay
0Could I use collagen instead of Whey protein?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jay, The collagen will likely dissolve and not provide any coating for you. If you do not have whey powder, then coconut flour will work well as a substitute.
Jay
0If I don’t have whey protein what can I use in replace of it?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jay, Coconut flour will work well in place of the whey protein. Enjoy!
Holly
0This would have been really good without the protein power. We felt that it gave it a really strange flavor, almost sweet. Next time I will just do it without that step and just do the egg and pork rind coating and see how that does. Thanks for this recipe though!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Holly, Did you use a flavored protein powder by chance? It should not be sweet at all. The protein powder should be just a very light coating and it helps the egg stick better, similar to how dredging with flour does the same thing for a normal breaded chicken.
Petegay
0Hello, I don’t eat pork and saw from your suggestions to use almond flour, however I haven’t had much luck with that alone, breading kept falling off. I don’t have whey protein but I have a plant based protein can I use that instead? Thanks.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Petegay, I have not tested this with plant protein in place of the whey powder, but I think it should still work in the recipe. Just be sure you have a neutral-flavored plant protein.
Alima
0Hello, it sounds nice however I don’t eat pork. What can I use instead of pork rinds?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Alima, Use almond flour instead. It won’t get as crispy, but it will still work great.
Cora
0I made this dish tonight. I felt the 3TB of marinara per chicken breast wasn’t enough. I added a little more. Consequently my dish probably was a little more carbs. My breading stuck to the pan and didn’t want to stay on the chicken breast. I think if I had to do this dish over again, I would probably first brown my chicken breasts in the pan, then spread the toppings on just one side and bake. Not sure if that would work, but really I used two different pans (because I had 6 chicken breasts) one was cast iron and the other was stainless steel and the chicken stuck to both, and I did heat up the pans first! I would try this recipe again and try a non-stick pan,
Cora
0You know I have to add, I did use powdered milk as I didn’t have any protein powder. Maybe next time I will try the collagen powder as someone below said that worked for them. Thanks, also, I didn’t mean to be so negative. The dish was still delicious, it was just the breading that didn’t work for me.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cora, Sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. I did use a non-stick pan, so would definitely try that next time – I think that was probably the main issue, and make sure you have enough oil to prevent sticking. I have never tried using powdered milk for dredging, so it’s possible it didn’t make the breading stick as well as protein powder does, as well. Hope you get the chance to try it with a protein powder as written.
Michelle Keller
0Do you have to use the Whey protein powder for the chicken parm?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Michelle, You don’t have to use the whey powder, you can use the parmesan and pork rinds on their own.
Carolyn Hemingway
0So good I could lick the plate. Better than any Chicken Parm I have ever made. The extra protein is a plus.
Carolyn Hemingway
0Thank you so much – I LOVE this recipe – Carolyn Arizona
Margot Thatcher
0Hello, I live in Mildura, northern Victoria, I am new to trying Keto, I was wondering what Pork rind is and where you buy it, would love to try this recipe on the weekend when my hubby gets home from his work trip.
thank you in advance
regards
Margot
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Margot, A pork rind is fried or roasted pig skin. It puffs up and becomes a shelf stable, crunchy snack. Despite the description, they are actually very tasty! I hope you are able to find them in your area.
Barbara
0Absolutely delicious. This in now on our favorites list. The breading was great. Stayed on the chicken and was crispy and delicious. Yum! Mangia, mangia!!❣️❣️
Leanne
0Hi Maya, I can’t wait to try this recipe! However, I don’t have any protein powder, but I’m wondering if psyllium husk powder would work also? Would love to know your thoughts on this as a substitute for this recipe. Thank you!!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Leanne, Psyllium husk powder wouldn’t work for this recipe. If you don’t have any whey protein, then you can omit it and just use the pork rind and parmesan mixture to coat the chicken with.
Kerri
0Hi Maya! I’m so glad to find your recipe. I’ve been searching for a great keto chicken parmigiana recipe, and this one looks great! I will come back and rate it after I’ve had a chance to try it. I do have a question though. I generally prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts to increase the fat to protein ratio. Would you still brine the chicken if using thighs?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Keri, Yes, I’d still brine chicken thighs, though it’s a bit less critical due to the fat content. Let me know what you think once you’ve tried the recipe!
Debbie
0Can you use a substitute for the protein powder or would any protein powder work?
Wholesome Yum A
0Any plain protein powder would work here, Debbie!
Wholesome Yum A
0OMG. This. Is. Delicious! I LOVE Italian food and this, by far, is my favourite Wholesome Yum recipe yet! I didn’t have whey protein powder so I just used almond flour instead and it still came out perfectly. Will definitely be making this again!!
Casey
0I am completely shocked and awed! Number one, I can’t believe how incredibly delicious this is! Number two, I can’t believe that I was able to make something so delicious! My wife and I have just started eating low carb meals and today it was my turn to choose a dish and make it and she was blown away! She said it was better than Olive Garden. Thank you so much for this and all of your wonderful recipes. You are a godsend!
Ryan Benoit
0This is a Fantastic recipe! I can not believe how delicious it is! You would never know that this is a diet food!
Carol
0I just tried your chicken parmesan recipe and it’s wonderful! I love your dinner recipe book. Making a great meal with 5 ingredients makes cooking so easy, but this recipe was the best one I’ve tried so far.
Ev
0This recipe is so delicious, wanted to put a little away in the freezer, but it was all eaten. Portion was very large for me so only ate 1/2 a breast.
Kerstin
0I just prepared this meal. Almond flour can’t replace pork grinds. The batter, if you will, gets sticky and clumpy… totally sticks to the pan. Not very crisp or attractive. I’m sure the end product will be great though.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kerstin, This recipe uses pork rinds, not almond flour. I suggested to a reader that you can use almond flour instead if you don’t have pork rinds, but pork rinds do work much better here. Hope you still liked it.
Shernaz Dick
0Hi! Can one use natural whey instead of the whey protein powder?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Shernaz, Sorry, I haven’t tried using that, so I’m not sure.
Terri T.
0I actually wish I had found this recipe! I made chicken parm the other night and didn’t think to use pork rinds. What did I have on hand? I had Carbquik (and good lord, I hope that’s ok for KETO!). I used it, and seasoned it up with parmesan cheese, a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. Fried it in Olive oil and added my own homemade sauce (so I know what’s in it) – topped with Mozzarella cheese and OH BOY…it was amazing. I will definitely have to try this Maya. I’m struggling with the pork rinds, however (SO salty…for me…who struggles with sodium). Do you think the Carbquik is an ok substitute? I LOVE all your recipes. You are ah-MAZING
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Terri, Thanks for sharing! I don’t use or recommend Carbquik, as it’s pretty processed and includes wheat. It’s better than regular flour. Some people use it for “dirty keto”, but for “strict keto” it wouldn’t be allowed. I hope you’ll try the version I have here sometime.
Roberta Fahr
0I wish the carbs per serving would be in the list. Since we count the carbs, it would help greatly.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Roberta, The carbs per serving and other nutrition info is listed on the recipe card above, below the video.
Natalie Ellis
0This dish is so beautiful ! Can we use the oven?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Natalie! Yes, the recipe says to place it in the oven after initial frying. I don’t recommend skipping the stove step because it’s much crispier that way.
Natalie Ellis
0Great! I just did it yesterday and it was totally tasty although my cheese was kind a little dry, next time I hope I will it better.
Holly
0I was wondering instead of the protein powder could you use collagen powder? I have been drinking the powder and thought that it could be used as flour in this case like the protein powder. Your thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Holly, Yes, you can definitely use collagen protein powder instead of whey protein powder. Please come back and let me know how you liked it!
Sandra Peters
0I haven’t made this recipe yet but just HAD to tell you what a marvelous idea using protein powder to dip and bread the chicken! I have a very large container of zero carb protein powder which I haven’t used since we went keto…..who knew!
Thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Sandra! I hope you’ll love it.
Lindsay
0Is there anything I can use instead of pork rinds? Thanks for the recipe, it looks SO good!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lindsay, You can use almond flour instead, but pork rinds are crispier. You may need to add some salt if you use almond flour.
Roberta
0If I’d substitute whey protein powder with egg white protein powder, do you think it would be quite the same?
Any suggestion also to skip dairy and use something else instead of mozzarella?
Thank you Maya!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Roberta, I haven’t tried egg white protein powder but it might work. You can skip the mozzarella if you want to. The recipe also has Parmesan, but it might work with just using more pork rinds if you want to. I just like the flavor and texture better when combining the two, but understand some people may need to be dairy-free.
Rachel
0Question: Why not just use coconut flour for the dredging? Adding protein powder to a protein meal is a lot of protein, and keto diets are supposed to be moderate protein, not high protein. So could coconut flour serve same purpose?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rachel, You can if you want to. The proteins are actually more effective at binding than coconut flour, though. But the coconut flour would probably work, and I’d just leave the remaining protein powder in the main breading portion. If you pair this with a low carb side that is low in protein, overall the macros in the meal should be fine. It’s also a big portion, so I often have just half of this with a side.