This Paleo, Whole30, & Keto Chicken Piccata recipe is a family favorite! This dish features lightly breaded, juicy chicken breasts with buttery lemon garlic sauce and capers. It doesn't get any tastier or easier than this!
I've made many piccata recipes over the years, but this Keto Chicken Piccata recipe is by far our favorite. It stays juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and is smothered in a silky smooth buttery garlic caper sauce. SO GOOD!
It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner yet fancy enough to serve to guests. It's a win-win recipe!
The chicken
First off, you need to start with thin slices of chicken - this is very important!
If they're not (around ¼" thick), the outside will start to burn before the inside cooks. You can buy thin-sliced chicken breasts or pound it into ¼" slices with a heavy pan or mallet.
For the breading, we'll be using crushed pork rinds - my all-time favorite breadcrumb substitute! Even if you don't like pork rinds, trust me, you'll like them as breading 😀
Simply crush them very finely in a food processor and add them to a large, shallow bowl along with some sea salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder.
If you don't have a food processor, place them in a large, resealable baggie leaving it slightly vented. Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the pork rinds. Be sure to crush them very finely or they will have trouble sticking to the chicken!
Dredge the chicken in some beaten eggs then the pork rind mixture and set aside on a large cutting board.
Cook over medium heat in a skillet of melted butter and oil until just cooked through, 165 degrees. Do not over cook or it will be dry! I cook mine for 4 minutes on each side and it's perfect.
Be sure not to overcrowd the pan and cook in batches if needed.
Then, set them aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
The sauce
Add 2 cloves of garlic to the pan and cook 15 to 30 seconds or until it's nice and fragrant. Then, add broth or white wine, the juice of a lemon, and capers.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in some parsley and butter (can use non-dairy) until the butter melts.
At this point, you can either add the chicken back to the pan with the sauce or drizzle the sauce over before serving - your choice.
Serve over gluten-free pasta or zucchini noodles and a side salad for a complete dinner.
💭 Top tips
- It's very important that you use thinly sliced chicken that's around ¼" thick. If it's too thick, the outside will burn and the inside will not fully cook through. You can buy thin-sliced chicken or pound it with a heavy skillet or mallet until it's the correct thickness.
- Be sure not to overcrowd the pan. If you need to cook in batches, be sure to rinse out the pan and add new oil and butter for each batch. If you skip this step, the chicken made in the following batches will taste burned. ...And no one wants that!
- Do not overcook or it will taste dry. Cook just until the center is cooked through and the juices are clear. Mine is perfect at 4 minutes per side over medium heat.
- Depending on the diet you follow, this can be served with gluten-free noodles, zucchini noodles, or eaten plain with a veggie or side salad.
- Be sure to crush the pork rinder very finely! Otherwise, they may not stick to chicken very well.
Looking for more low-carb pasta dishes?
Or if you're looking for more chicken recipes, this Crockpot Butter Chicken from The Endless Meal and this Best Grilled Chicken Recipe from Allergy Awesomeness both look really delicious too!
If you’ve tried this Keto Chicken Piccata or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
Or be sure to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or E-Mail to see more delicious food and find out what I’ve been up to!
📖 Recipe
Keto Chicken Piccata {Paleo & Whole30}
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts - ¼ inch thick
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Finely Crushed Pork Rinds - roughly 1.5 oz
- ¼ Tsp. Pepper
- ½ Tsp. Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
- 4 tablespoon Butter (can use non-dairy) or Ghee - divided + more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil or Olive Oil - + more as needed
- 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
- ⅓ Cup Chicken Stock - or White Wine
- 2 Lemons - juice from 1, garnish with the other
- 2 Tbsp. Capers
- ¼ Cup Parsley
Instructions
- If chicken is more than ¼ inch thick, place chicken on cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound chicken with a mallet or heavy skillet until it's ¼ inch thick and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel if needed.
- To crush the pork rinds, add them to the bowl of a food processor and process them on high until very finely crushed. If you don't have a food processor, place them in a large, resealable baggie leaving it slightly vented. Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the pork rinds. Be sure to crush them very finely or they will have trouble sticking to the chicken!
- In a shallow bowl, combine the crushed pork rinds, sea salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs.
- Use tongs to dredge the chicken into the whisked eggs then the pork rind mixture. Set the breaded chicken aside on a large cutting board.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat until butter is melted.
- Once pan is hot, add the chicken to the skillet and cook for around 4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degrees. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if needed. If cooking in batches, add more butter and oil as needed.
- Have your chicken stock or wine ready to go, then add the garlic and cook 15 - 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken stock or white wine to the pan and use a wooden spoon to de-glaze. Then add the juice of 1 lemon and capers. Let bubble for about a minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in parsley and 3 tablespoon butter until melted.
- Return chicken to pan OR pour sauce over chicken just before serving. Garnish with sliced lemon.
Add You Own Notes
Notes
- Nutrition Facts do not include noodles.
- It's very important that you use thinly sliced chicken that's around ¼" thick. If they're too thick, the outside will burn and the inside will not fully cook through. You can buy thin-sliced chicken or pound them with a heavy skillet or mallet until they're the correct thickness.
- Be sure not to overcrowd the pan. If you need to cook the chicken in batches, be sure to rinse out the pan and add new oil and butter for each batch. If you skip this step, the chicken made in the following batches will taste burned. ...And no one wants burned tasting chicken!
- Do not overcook or it will taste dry. Cook it just until the center is cooked through and reaches 165 degrees. Mine is perfect at 4 minutes per side over medium heat.
- Depending on the diet you follow, this can be served with gluten-free noodles, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or eaten plain with a veggie or side salad.
- The recipe was updated in November of 2021 to use pork rinds instead of almond flour because they make for a crispier breading.
Nutrition
NET CARBS = Total Carbs - Fiber
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary. Sugar alcohols are included in the total carbs and fiber.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out my
Becki's Whole Life says
One of my favorite Italian dishes - yum! I have found that on Keto I appreciate the flavors more in dishes like this when I'm not putting them over pasta. Looks wonderful!
Cassidy says
Thank you Becki!!! I hope you like it 🙂
-Cassidy
Anne01 says
This recipe is fantastic! I've made it twice already. I've craved chicken piccata for a long time, but haven't been able to eat it in restaurants since I'm gluten and dairy free. And this recipe is so easy! Thank you so much!