You’ll love this easy, keto, one-pan dinner of chicken breasts baked on a bed of zucchini “noodles”, blanketed in marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and bubbling hot and gooey mozzarella cheese.
Total carbs 15g, net carbs 11g
Who says chicken parm has to be coated and fried in breading? A typical serving of traditional chicken parmesan, without the bread and pasta, has 45 grams of carbs per chicken cutlet.
Lighten-up carb counters! I’m going to show you how to make easy, keto chicken parmesan that’s juicy and delicious and only 15g of carbs per serving! This recipe takes only minutes to assemble since we skip the whole tedious, high-carb step of breading and frying chicken cutlets. Just layer the ingredients in a baking pan and pop it in the oven. You'll have a delicious one-pan chicken dinner on the table in 30 minutes with minimal cleanup. The marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese seal in the chicken juices while baking. This dish is keto-friendly since we are substituting pasta with zucchini and doing without the heavy breading. Share this healthy meal with your family. Just serve it with a side of pasta or bread for the carb eaters in your life.
Ingredients you'll need
Zucchinis, also called courgettes and summer squash, are a great carb swap for those of us on keto and low-carb diets. A cup of chopped zucchini has only 4 grams of total carbs vs a cup of pasta which has 45 grams of total carbs. Zucchinis are also rich in vitamin C, vitamin B-6, magnesium and fiber.
I used pre-cut zucchini noodles from the supermarket for this recipe. If you make your own, it is best to cut zucchini noodles the day that you plan to eat them.
Olive oil - use extra virgin olive oil.
Boneless chicken breasts - split them into cutlets.
Seasonings - I used simple seasonings, salt, pepper and garlic powder. You can add Italian herbs and spices if you like. I preferred to leave them out since I wanted the flavor of the fresh basil to stand out.
Marinara sauce. Look for brands with no sugar added since added sugar will spike your blood sugar and affect the total carbs.
Parmesan cheese freshly grated.
Fresh mozzarella cheese - thinly sliced, but you can use grated mozzarella if that is your preference.
Fresh basil is best. I keep a plant on my front porch to snip off leaves as I need them. If you can't get fresh basil, frozen or dried basil will do just fine.
How to make zucchini noodles
Most supermarkets carry pre-cut zucchini noodles, but if you can’t find them or they don’t look fresh (check that they don’t look soggy or slimy), you may want to make your own.
When you have fresh zucchinis it is pretty easy to do it yourself. If you have a spiralizer for making vegetable noodles, great. If you don’t have a spiralizer, then a simple vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer will do the trick.
Peel or slice zucchinis lengthwise into thin ribbons. When you reach the seeded core, flip the zucchini over and peel or slice the other side up to the core. Discard the core, the seeds will just make your “noodles” soggy. It also helps the zoodles keep longer in the fridge.
Equipment you'll need
A baking pan or casserole dish at least 9 x 13 inches.
What to serve with chicken parm
This dish is a complete meal. You can serve it with a side salad. If you are sharing with family and friends who don't count carbs, then offer it with some garlic bread, crusty bread or pasta.
Make ahead
You can assemble this dish ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for a day or two (longer if the zoodles are seedless), until you are ready to cook. Don't wait too long to cook zucchini noodles as they deteriorate quickly. When you are ready to cook the casserole, give it an extra 15 minutes of cook time if you are taking it straight from the fridge into the oven.
You can prepare the zucchini noodles (remove the seeds) ahead of time and store them, uncooked, in the fridge for a day or two. Wrap them in a paper towel in a covered container so that they don’t get slimy.
How to store
Because zucchini noodles don't keep long, this dish will keep as leftovers for only a day or two. Store covered in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Parmesan is a type of Italian cheese from the Parma region, while parmigiana is a style of cooking. Parmigiana style bakes the main ingredient, in this case chicken cutlets, with tomato sauce and cheese. But no worries, many people call this dish chicken parmesan, chicken parmigiana, and chicken parm. We know what you mean 🙂
It doesn't have to be. Make this recipe and you'll be golden. Traditional chicken parm is high in calories, carbs and fat. A typical serving of the chicken alone has 45 grams of carbs, not to mention the pasta and bread that it is often served with.
Easy keto baked chicken parmesan
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 cutlets 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
You’ll love this easy, keto, one-pan dinner of chicken breasts baked on a bed of zucchini “noodles”, blanketed in marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and bubbling hot and gooey mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
8 cups zucchini noodles
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken breasts (8 ounces each), split into 4 cutlets
a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup marinara sauce (no sugar added)
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
8 ounces (½ pound) fresh mozzarella cheese sliced into 8 rounds
12 fresh basil leaves, whole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Layer zucchini in a baking pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place chicken cutlets in a layer over zucchini. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and grated Parmesan cheese. Spread sauce evenly over each cutlet. Arrange mozzarella slices over each cutlet.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes on the middle rack.
- Then place under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is bubbling and browned.
- Garnish w fresh basil.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: Italian
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