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Crispy, golden Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts taste just like schnitzel without the carb-loaded guilt! Oven and Air Fryer methods included.
Parmesan crusted chicken is an incredible low carb, keto approved and gluten free recipe. Skinless and boneless chicken breasts are dipped in a flavourful egg wash for the ultimate taste explosion before being coated in a parmesan mixture.
The cheese will stick and melt onto your chicken, creating the perfect, golden, crispy crust! Serve with our popular Buttery Cauliflower Mash for the ultimate low carb meal!
PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN
Tender on the inside and ultra crispy on the outside, this parmesan crusted chicken has to make it onto your dinner table/weekly menu plan ASAP! Ready in under 10 minutes, this parmesan crusted chicken is the low-carb and keto answer to your schnitzel loving prayers. At only 1g of carbs per serving, this really is a winner, winner chicken dinner (insert applause).
I’m all about the cheesy crust! Packed with the natural flavour of parmesan and perfectly seasoned chicken with a delicious Italian edge, this chicken recipe is a favourite dinner in our house. The kids love it, the husband devours it… it tastes like something you would eat at a fine Italian restaurant.
No flour + no breadcrumbs = 100% gluten free.
Even non low-carbers love our parmesan crusted chicken! Serve it to them with pasta or over mashed potatoes and they won’t know the difference.
WHAT YOU NEED FOR PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN
PARMESAN CHEESE: Use fresh grated or store-bought shredded parmesan. Please, for the love of all things tasty, do not use the tinned grated parmesan (aka powdery sand). You need fresh cheese that will melt onto your chicken. Don’t feel like shredding it yourself? Use a food processor and it’s done in seconds.
ALMOND FLOUR: Not to be confused with almond meal (the grainy brown stuff), almond flour is super fine and pale yellow. It helps coat the chicken where the parmesan cheese won’t cover. A great low-carb alternative to breadcrumbs.
You can SUBSTITUTE with crushed pork rinds or just extra parmesan cheese if you have a nut allergy!
CHICKEN: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR chicken thighs for this parmesan crusted chicken recipe. If using thighs, you will need to pound your fillets to 1/2-inch thickness and make sure the surface on both sides is flat. Thighs will also require longer to cook (about 7-8 minutes each side), whereas chicken breasts cook faster.
HOW TO MAKE PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN
- Slice chicken breasts in half: this makes them thinner without pounding them so they cook fast.
- Season to start the flavour: I use Italian seasoning but you can use whatever you have – just make sure you love it.
- Dip in a garlicky egg wash: fresh garlic is best but you can sub with garlic powder. Use 1 teaspoon.
- Coat in parmesan/almond flour mixture.
- Fry to crispy, golden heaven for 4 minutes each side. Cook in an olive oil/butter mixture. You can use either or both together as we always do. I find the butter/oil mixture yields perfect golden-crust results.
- Temperature should be set to medium-high to prevent the cheese from burning and leaving you with under-cooked chicken on the inside.
A super quick dinner done in minutes! The End.
AIR FRYER METHOD
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
- Spray uncooked crumbed chicken all over with olive oil spray.
- Place two chicken breasts in air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 7 minutes.
-
Flip the chicken breasts over and air fry for a further 3-4 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
-
Set aside and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
TIPS
Since you’re cooking chicken breasts coated with parmesan cheese, you need to use a non-stick frying pan (or skillet). Please don’t use any other pan as the chicken may stick to it and ruin your dinner.
To check if your chicken is golden on the underside, give it a gentle push with a spatula after 3 minutes of cooking. If it moves or slides in the grease, use nonstick tongs to lift a corner of the breast to check. If golden, flip and cook until done all the way through.
TO MAKE AHEAD
If time allows, marinate chicken overnight in the egg wash for a deeper flavour. Cover with wrap and refrigerate, then take it out at least 15 minutes before cooking to help get the chill out. Parmesan crusted chicken tastes even better when prepared the day before.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN
For low-carb options, go with Cauliflower Mash, zucchini noodles, Creamy Broccoli, Garlic Mushrooms, cauliflower rice, Sautéed Green Beans, steamed veggies or roasted veggies.
For carb loving readers, serve with Mashed Potatoes, pasta, rice, Garlic Bread, Scalloped Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Sweet Potatoes. You can also use this Crispy Chicken Parmesan recipe with breadcrumbs.
MORE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES
Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts
Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
Cajun Butter Chicken Breasts
Balsamic Baked Chicken Breast With Mozzarella Cheese
Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast
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Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- 1 pound chicken breasts 2 large breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper to season
EGG WASH:
- 2 eggs
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
COATING:
- 1 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 1/2 cup almond flour not almond meal
TO COOK:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
CHICKEN:
- Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 fillets. Generously season with Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
EGG WASH:
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, garlic and Italian seasoning. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place chicken in the egg wash and set aside to let marinate.*
COATING:
- Combine the parmesan cheese and almond flour in a separate shallow bowl.
TO COOK:
- Using a fork or tongs, pick up one of the chicken breast pieces and allow excess egg wash to drip off. Dredge in the parmesan mixture, pressing chicken lightly into the coating with the back of the fork, then turn and repeat. Shake off excess coating and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
- Heat oil and butter in a large NON-STICK skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry 2 chicken pieces at a time UNTOUCHED for (about 4 minutes). Do not move chicken around as the coating may peel off of the surface of the chicken before it gets a chance to stick!
- Once the coating is crispy, golden and set, flip and continue frying on other side until golden and cooked through.
- Repeat with remaining chicken breast.
Notes
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
- Spray uncooked crumbed chicken all over with olive oil spray.
- Place two chicken breasts in air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 7 minutes.
-
Flip the chicken breasts over and air fry for a further 3-4 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
-
Set aside and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Serve with our popular buttery cauliflower mash for the ultimate low carb meal!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
After having a total meltdown last night from trying desperately to find satisfying low-carb recipes (I don’t eat veggies) and missing “real food.” I came upon this and last minute added the ingredients to my grocery list. This is what I”ve been missing! Absolutely no flavor missing in this recipe! This will be on heavy rotation!!
I tried this recipe and it tasted great but I had problem with the crust as it would not adhere properly to the chicken. Can anyone give me any suggestion regarding this ? And can we use some other cheese instead of Parmesan, it’s very expensive here.
Delicious and low carb! I’ve made it five times with great success. Not only is it easy to make, it comes out golden, crunchy, juicy perfection. An excellent meal during the work week.
I’m also a fan of your Dijon Cream Chicken, which is another crowd-pleasing dish.
Thank you so much, Karina!
Forgot to say – I’ve tried soaking the chicken overnight and coating the chicken right before cooking respectively, and they’re equally delicious. Whatever works for you!
I made this without any alteration to the recipe using the air fryer method and it was fantastic! My entire family loved it. Thanks so much for this recipe.
I followed the recipe, the chicken was delicious. Unfortunately, even though I generously used oil and butter, the coating stuck to my pan. Next time I’ll bake it on parchment.
Ooooh! Parchment paper is a good idea. Thanks for the tip. I have sets of quality cookware, but nothing that is branded as non-stick. I was worried about the results.
I forgot to rate this 5 stars. The flavor is amazing and it has replaced my traditional chicken parm. My whole family said they preferred this one over my old one (and they loved my old one).
I absolutely love this recipe, but I have had problem with the breading adhering to the chicken. Any suggestions. I have now made this twice. The flavor is delicious, but my presentation have something to be desired.
Omigoodness! This was a winner at my house. I had to make it two days in a row because part one of the family ate all of it and part two of the family were upset they didn’t get any leftovers. I did run out of fresh Parmesan and had do use the powder stuff but it was still good. I also ran out of almond flour and had to use regular flour for some. Fried and baked a couple of batches of course the fried was so good but the baked was delicious also. Ty, ty, tysm for this easy, quick and delicious recipe!
I need to share that we used boneless skinless thighs as we did not have breasts. And I Purchased the box of grated Parmesan Reggiano at Costco and used the entire bottle. it is in the refrigerated section. What a great deal!
This was delicious! My husband is allergic to almonds (bummer since he is also on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet) but I made this with a little coconut flour instead (I didn’t measure, but much less than 1/2 cup) and it turned out amazing!
So I was just wondering if I can make this recipe with mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan cheese because we can’t go out and get it, given the circumstances?