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Chicken Piccata – Keto Low Carb Recipe

This recipe for keto chicken piccata or picatta, includes a couple of simple yet delicious substitutions to achieve a keto friendly version of this classic. It may even be the best chicken piccata recipe overall, keto or not! In a traditional chicken piccata recipe, chicken breasts are dredged in flour before pan frying. Eating a small amount of flour may allow you to still stay in ketosis. However, using zero carb substitutes is a better option. Plus, if you’re gluten-free or grain-free for serious health reasons such as celiac, then wheat must be eliminated entirely.

The main flavors of chicken piccata, lemon and capers, make a delicious combination. I especially love this dish when paired with a sauvignon blanc or a light French muscadet from Dry Farm Wines. If you’re new here you may not have heard about Dry Farm Wines before, but I’ve been drinking their wine for years.

You can see my videos about Dry Farm Wines and a full review here. Every Dry Farm Wines bottle is tested to be under one gram of sugar. They test for other contaminants as well. Their no sugar wine is basically zero carb as well as gluten free and delicious.

What is Piccata Chicken?

According to Wikipedia, piccata is an Italian word. In Italy, it is sometimes also spelled as picatta or even pichotta. The culinary use of the Italian term picatta means “to be pounded flat.”
When used in reference to a way of preparing food, particularly meat or fish, it means “sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter and spices.” Piccata is also often spelled in the US using the Italian spelling of picatta.
I’m mentioning that here because keto chicken picatta with the Italian spelling is frequently searched. In fact, keto chicken piccata and keto chicken piccata are searched for almost equally. 

Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here.Keto Chicken Piccata

Best Chicken Piccata Recipe

The best chicken piccata recipe will include all of the critical flavor elements. Crispy chicken, capers, butter and lemon are the flavors that define this classic dish. While some people like to serve their chicken piccata with pasta, we of course won’t be doing that here. However, it’s still really delicious paired with zucchini noodles or Natural Heaven hearts of palm noodles as an alternative to wheat pasta.

Keto Chicken Picatta/Keto Chicken Piccata

While you can absolutely pound your chicken for this recipe, it’s quicker and easier to slice a large breast horizontally. If you prefer to pound the chicken breast, be sure to put the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap to avoid spreading germs in your kitchen. It is also useful to keep a separate cutting board on hand for chicken. I like to use a plastic one for this purpose so I can sanitize it in the dishwasher.

One of my favorite parts of chicken piccata is the crispy crust on the chicken. The use of cheese and pork rinds produces a crispy, zero carb crust that makes this the best chicken piccata recipe. Even if you’re not keto or low carb, I highly recommend you try it! One thing I would change here is the use of tallow. Although  I love to use it for frying, the flavor profile of this recipe screams for butter.

The publishers really wanted a lot of dairy free options in this cookbook. That’s why I chose tallow instead of the traditional butter flavor. As long as butter agrees with you, I recommend using it for this keto chicken picatta (piccata).

Chicken Piccata

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Chicken piccata is usually dredged in flour, which is a no-no for your grain-free diet. Not to worry though, you can still enjoy this classic and achieve an excellent crust on chicken breasts or other meats by using a combination of Parmesan cheese and crushed pork rinds.

Ingredients  

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup crushed pork rinds
  • 3 tablespoons tallow, or coconut oil
  • 4 bonelness, skinless chicken breasts, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds total, sliced horizontally in half to make cutlets
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 large lemons, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • In a shallow bowl large enough to hold a chicken breast, beat together the egg, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the Parmesan, pork rinds, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the Parmesan/pork rind mixture onto a dinner plate.
  • In a large skillet, heat the tallow over medium heat until liquid.
  • Working in batches (whatever you can fit in your skillet without crowding), use a fork or tongs to dip each chicken breast into the egg mixture, then into the Parmesan/pork rind mixture until completely covered, pressing it onto the chicken.
  • Transfer the chicken breasts to the hot skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until the cheese is golden brown and set aside while you cook a second batch.
  • Once all of the chicken is cooked, add as much of the chicken back to the pan as will fit and add the broth, lemon juice, and capers. Reduce heat to simmer.
  • Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 15 more minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate.
  • Add the butter and parsley to the skillet, scraping the brown bits from the pan.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and serve while hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 4peopleCalories: 371kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 38gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 2045mgPotassium: 510mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 322mgIron: 1mg

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Author

  • Cheryl McColgan

    Cheryl McColgan is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Heal Nourish Grow, where she has published evidence-based health and nutrition content since 2018.

    With over 30 years of experience in fitness, nutrition, and healthy living, and nearly 20 years of professional editorial and journalism experience, she brings both subject-matter depth and trained editorial judgment to everything on the site.

    Cheryl holds a degree in Psychology with a minor in Addictions Studies, completed graduate training in Clinical Psychology, and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and E-RYT Certified Yoga Instructor and trained in Yoga Therapy.

    She is the author of 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart, Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight, The Grain Free Cookbook for Beginners, and Easy Weeknight Keto.

    Read more about Cheryl and the journey that created Heal Nourish Grow on the about page.

    Cheryl McColgan is the founder of Heal Nourish Grow, where she writes about protein, body composition, healthy aging, and evidence-based nutrition and wellness along with the everyday habits that actually make those things work in real life.

    With a background in psychology and graduate training in clinical psychology, plus nearly 20 years of experience in editorial and publishing, Cheryl approaches health from both a research and real-world perspective. She’s also been immersed in fitness and nutrition for more than 25 years, which gives her a practical lens most purely academic content tends to miss.

    Her work today focuses heavily on protein intake (especially for women), muscle retention, metabolic health, and sustainable fat loss, along with topics like sleep, wellness, recovery, and wearable health tech. You’ll also find a mix of high-protein, low-carb recipes designed to make hitting those goals easier without overcomplicating things.

    Cheryl’s interest in health and nutrition became more personal after navigating her own health challenges, which pushed her to dig deeper into how lifestyle, diet and daily habits impact long-term health. That experience continues to shape how she approaches everything on this site: practical, realistic, and focused on what actually works over time.

    What Cheryl Covers

    Most of the content here falls into a few core areas:

    Protein & Muscle Health: how much you actually need, especially for women and how to use protein to support strength, body composition, and aging
    Fat Loss & Metabolic Health: sustainable approaches that prioritize muscle retention and long-term results
    Healthy Habits & Lifestyle: sleep, movement, strength training, consistency, and the small things that compound over time
    Wearables & Recovery: real-world testing and comparisons of tools like Oura, Whoop and others
    High-Protein & Low-Carb Recipes: simple, realistic meals that support your goals without feeling restrictive
    Travel & Lifestyle: wellness-focused travel, outdoor experiences, and a slightly more elevated take on healthy living

    If you're new, here are a few good places to begin:

    30 Day Healthy Habits Challenge

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