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My Keto Chicken Parmesan Delivers All The Crispy, Cheesy Comfort
This keto Chicken Parmesan brings me all the nostalgic vibes from enjoying this dish at Italian restaurants. Crispy breaded chicken, sweet marinara, and gooey melted mozzarella… what’s not to love? Only the carbs, but I just fixed that. 😉 Here’s why I think you’ll love this low carb Chicken Parmesan just as much as the original:
- Classic comfort food in a low carb package – You still get everything you expect from traditional Chicken Parm: juicy chicken, a crispy coating (more on that in a minute!), rich marinara sauce, and plenty of melty mozzarella baked right on top… except this time, it’s keto friendly.
- Crispy coating like the real deal – I choose a unique breading combo here, and it turned out incredibly crispy. A secret ingredient helps the breading stick.
- Surprisingly easy to make – This keto Chicken Parmesan has just a few easy steps and comes together in around half an hour.
- Super high protein – Yes, this recipe is very keto friendly (less than 4g net carbs!) and gluten-free, but it also packs over 80 grams of protein per serving.
If you’re craving a crispy, cheesy comfort food dinner — without much effort or derailing your keto diet — grab your skillet for this keto Chicken Parm. Make it with me!
“Just made this for the first time for dinner!! So good! I like that it’s all cooked in one pan. Really filling. We enjoyed it very much. Will definitely make again.”
-Jill
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto Chicken Parmesan recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs if you like.
- Keto Breading Combo – I used crushed pork rinds as a super crispy base (since bread crumbs are not keto friendly), mixed with grated parmesan cheese for cheesy flavor and browning. You can use almond flour instead, but the breading won’t be nearly as crunchy.
- Whey Protein Powder – My secret for getting the coating to stick and turn out crispy! 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 keto Chicken Parmesan, but I found that protein powder does the job just as well. You can also use coconut flour for the dredge, as I do in my keto Eggplant Parmesan and keto fried chicken. I’m not sure if other types of protein powder will work the same way, but let me know how it goes if you try a different kind!
- Eggs – To make the breading cling to the chicken, this comes after the dredging step.
- Seasonings – Simply Italian seasoning and sea salt. You can also add garlic powder, onion powder, and/or black pepper. If you don’t have the mixed herbs, dried basil or oregano alone work well.
- Marinara Sauce – You can use my homemade marinara sauce, or this brand without added sugar is my fave for something quick.
- Mozzarella Cheese – For that gooey, cheesy topping everyone expects from chicken parm. You can also use provolone, fontina, or even fresh mozzarella if you want a softer melt.
- Avocado Oil – For cooking. Olive oil works well, too.
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How To Make Keto Chicken Parmesan
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Brine the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl of warm salted water and let them sit for a bit. Pat dry and pound to an even thickness.
- Pound to an even thickness. This step, using the flat side of a meat mallet, helps the pieces cook more quickly and evenly. I aim for 1/2 inch thick.
- Prep the breading stations. Set up three bowls: one with the whey protein powder for dredging, one with the whisked eggs, and one with the crushed pork rinds, grated parmesan, Italian seasoning, and more protein powder mixed together. I recommend shallow bowls here, so you can dip the chicken easily.
- Bread the chicken. Dredge each chicken breast in the protein powder, dip chicken in the egg, then coat it well in the pork rind mixture, so the breading sticks all over.
- Sear until crispy. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown on both sides. It should be nice and crispy!
- Assemble the keto Chicken Parmesan. Spoon the marinara over each piece, add shredded mozzarella, and transfer the skillet to the oven. It’s ready when the cheese melts and turns lightly golden. I like to garnish with fresh basil ribbons.
My Recipe Tips
- You can skip the brine, but I don’t recommend it. Just like my healthy baked chicken, this step is the key to juicy chicken breasts. Even 10 minutes makes a noticeable difference. You can brine for up to 24 hours if you want to prep the day before instead.
- Dry the chicken before dredging. This helps the coating stick better, keeps the outside crisp, and actually makes the inside more juicy. I do this with pretty much all my breaded proteins — even if I don’t use a brine.
- Use two hands when breading the chicken, one for the dry coating and one for the egg wash. This keeps the breading from getting sticky or clumpy from egg-covered hands. If your bowl is large enough, you can also gently shake the chicken in the breading to coat it evenly. My other trick is to scoop the breading over the chicken in the breading bowl, like I’m burying it in breading.
- Make sure to use oven-safe pan. I always use my cast-iron skillet, pictured above, because it retains heat really well. Plus, it goes right from stovetop to oven to table beautifully.
- Check the internal temperature. This keto Chicken Parmesan doesn’t dry out as easily as plain chicken breast, as the breading keeps the juices inside, but I still like to check with this instant-read thermometer. For safe but juicy results, you want it to reach 165 degrees F, but not higher. Sometimes I aim for 162-163 degrees F and then let it rest to come to 165.
Keto Chicken Parmesan (Crispy & High Protein)
By
My low carb, keto chicken parmesan has the crispiest golden breading, marinara, and melty mozzarella, all with just 3.9 grams net carbs.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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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 24 hours).
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C).
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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 it dry. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch.
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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 skillet 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 the 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.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 chicken breast with marinara & cheese toppings.
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the coating nice and crispy, and keep the chicken juicy.
- Storage: Store leftover keto Chicken Parmesan in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: This dish is best fresh, but you can mix the dry breading ingredients ahead.
- Reheat: Warm in a 350 degree F oven or hot skillet for the best texture. Microwaving makes the coating mushy.
- Freeze: This chicken freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Note on nutrition info: This is a large serving, so you can easily have half paired with a side dish. That’s what I usually do.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Chicken Parmesan
Serving Ideas
This dish is traditionally served over pasta, so I recommend placing this keto Chicken Parmesan over a keto friendly alternative for a similar vibe. Try my microwave spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, shirataki noodles, or for the closest-to-the-real-deal situation, keto egg pasta.
I also usually add veggies on the side, like Parmesan broccoli and cauliflower, zucchini fries, or Caprese salad.
81 Comments
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.