Keto Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Missing breaded or fried chicken on your low carb diet? Try these amazing keto parmesan crusted chicken breasts and you'll be hooked! Oven baked until crispy and golden, this easy chicken dinner is lower on the carbs and bigger on the flavor.

What Kind Of Chicken Do I Use?

I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts to create this keto parmesan crusted chicken. You can use boneless thighs if you prefer dark meat. Thighs will take longer to cook than breasts, so make sure they are cooked through. If you use a mixture of thighs and breasts, take the breasts out when they are done and leave the thighs in longer (this will help prevent drying out the breasts)

How Many Carbs Per Serving?

Despite the fact that this keto parmesan crusted chicken is covered with a flavorful and crunchy breading, there are only 2 grams net carbs per 4-ounce breast!

What Are Some Low Carb Side Dishes?

Trying to figure out what to serve with this main dish? Try some of these lower/slower carb options.

• Roasted Green Vegetables - asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli florets are delicious when coated in a little olive oil and seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
• Baked Sweet Potato - served with butter and cinnamon, baked sweet potatoes are my favorite complex carb side dish.
• Green Salad - always an easy choice for those keeping the carbs low. Load up your salad with plenty of veggies, toss in a handful of chopped nuts for crunch, and top with your favorite low carb dressing like ranch or blue cheese.
• Cauliflower Rice - I love this easy cauliflower rice pilaf that makes for a flavorful bed beneath this chicken

How To Make Crispy Oven Chicken

While baking breaded chicken in the oven is a healthier option for those watching their fat and/or calories, the results can be less than stellar because you just won't get that super crispy crunch that is so desirable in breaded, fried dishes.

So, what's a person to do when you want that delicious fried texture without the extra oil?

• Use an oven rack! Metal roasting racks or oven-safe cooling racks are ideal because they lift the chicken off of the surface of the pan. Doing this allows air to reach all sides of the chicken and allows for extra crisping.
• Cook at a higher temperature. I like 400. The higher temp helps lock in moisture in the chicken and also helps to crisp up the breading, avoiding the unsavory situation of dried out, overdone chicken and soggy breading.
• Broil it at the end. If your breading isn't quite as crispy as you'd like once the chicken is done, don't continue baking it for too long or you will risk drying out the meat. Instead, flip the oven over to the broiler and broiler for a minute or two to finish adding some color and crisp on the breading.
• Use Convection. If you are lucky enough to have convection settings on your oven - use it! The additional circulating air will contribute to faster cooking and better crisping. (Tip: if you use a convection setting, lower the oven temp in the recipe by 25 degrees).
• Pound it. If your chicken breasts are super thick, and especially if they vary in thickness, pound them to an even thickness before baking. This ensures that you don't end up with dried out areas before the thicker areas are fully cooked and also allows for a shorter cook time overall.

Recommended Equipment

You don't need a lot of fancy items in your kitchen to create keto parmesan crusted chicken, but there are a few pieces of equipment that will help this recipe be the best it can be.

Meat Tenderizer: Using the flat side of this meat tenderizer will help pound your chicken to an even thickness so that it cooks fast and consistently.

Oven Rack: Elevating the breaded chicken on an oven rack lets air circulate around the entire piece of meat and will yield the juiciest breast with the crispiest breading.

Dredging Pans: Not a required piece of equipment for this recipe, but I love these shallow dredging pans that will allow you to set up a breading station quickly and easily. You can also use any wide and shallow container that you already have in your kitchen.

What Is The Egg Wash For?

Dipping the chicken into beaten egg helps bind the breading to the surface of the chicken. Since this is a rather chunky breading from the larger pieces of shredded cheese, it needs some help sticking to the breasts so it doesn't fall off while baking!

How To Season The Breading

I used a mixture of Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and paprika to season the breading for this keto parmesan crusted chicken. Use your imagination and create other seasoning combinations - there's really no wrong way to season this chicken! Try garlic powder, onion powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, or dried parsley in your experiments.

What Kind Of Parmesan Cheese?

Use shredded parmesan cheese (as opposed to the powder in the can) for this recipe for additional toothiness to the breading - shred it fresh yourself if possible for the best, most tangy zip to your chicken.

Why Almond Flour Is Ideal

Almond flour is an amazing substitute for all-purpose flour in breaded chicken. It crisps up in the oven, sticks to the chicken, and adds a great nutty flavor to the finished dish. While this keto parmesan crusted chicken gets most of its flavor from shredded Parmesan cheese, the small amount of almond flour adds a minimal amount of carbs, but adds tons of flavor.

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