This Paleo, Whole30, & Keto Chicken Piccata recipe is a family favorite! This dish features juicy chicken breasts lightly coated in almond flour and pan-fried until a golden crust is formed. Then, it's finished off with a buttery lemon garlic sauce with 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!
🔪 Easy instructions
First off, you need to start with thin slices of chicken - this is very important!
If they're not around 1/4" thick, the outside will start to burn before the inside cooks. You can buy thin-sliced chicken breasts or pound it into 1/4" slices with a heavy pan or mallet.
Then, whisk together some almond flour, salt, and pepper in a large shallow bowl.
For nut-free, you can substitute cassava flour for the almond flour but then it would no longer be low-carb.
Dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess, and cook it over medium heat in a skillet of melted butter and oil until cooked through. I cook mine for 4 minutes on each side and it's perfect.
Be sure not to overcrowd the pan.
If you need to cook them in batches, rinse the pan out in between each batch and add new butter and oil.
If you skip this step, the chicken made in the following batches will taste burned. ...And no one wants that!!!
Then, set them aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
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 1/4" 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.
Looking for more low-carb pasta dishes?
I think you'll love these recipes:
Fettuccine Alfredo With Blackened Chicken
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📖 Recipe
Keto Chicken Piccata {Paleo & Whole30}
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 1/4 inch thick
- 2/3 Cup Blanched Almond Flour or Otto's Cassava Flour For Nut Free
- 1/4 Tsp. Pepper
- 1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt
- 4 Tbsp Butter (can use non-dairy) or Ghee divided + more as needed
- 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil or Olive Oil + more as needed
- 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 1/3 Cup Chicken Stock or White Wine
- 2 Lemons juice from 1, garnish with the other
- 2 Tbsp. Capers
- 1/4 Cup Parsley
Instructions
- If chicken is more than 1/4 inch thick, place chicken on cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound chicken with a mallet or heavy skillet until it's 1/4 inch thick.
- Mix together the almond flour, salt, and pepper in a large shallow bowl and set aside.
- 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, dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off excess, and place in skillet. Cook for around 4 minutes per side, or until the outside is browned and the center of chicken is just cooked through and juices are clear. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if needed. If cooking in batches, rinse out the pan between each batch and add new butter and oil. Add the chicken once pan is hot again. After chicken is cooked, set aside on a dish and cover with foil to keep warm.
- 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. Turn heat to medium-high and add the juice of 1 lemon and capers. Let bubble for about a minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in parsley and 3 Tbsp butter until melted.
- Return chicken to pan OR pour sauce over chicken just before serving. Garnish with sliced lemon.
Notes
- Nutrition Facts do not include noodles.
- It's very important that you use thinly sliced chicken that's around 1/4" 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 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.
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
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!
Thank you Becki!!! I hope you like it 🙂
-Cassidy
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!