Keto Chicken Piccata

Keto Chicken Piccata is a low carb, gluten free adaptation of classic chicken piccata. Thin slices of dredged chicken is pan-fried, then topped with a zesty, lemony butter sauce. This recipe is equally as flavorful as the original, very easy to make, and is a family friendly dinner that’s great for any night of the week.

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I often flip through food and recipe magazines when on the treadmill or eating dinner. I recently came across an odd recipe for a piccata using pork and it reminded me that I really wanted to make a keto-style Chicken Piccata recipe.

This really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone after all the lemon chicken recipes I’ve shared recently, like Lemon Garlic Chicken and Mediterranean Chicken with Lemon Olive Sauce.

You might be wondering exactly what is Chicken Piccata? Piccata is not a word you really hear anywhere else other than a recipe here or there. Piccata is actually defined as a thin slice of breaded, fried veal, another meat commonly used in this type of recipe.

Chicken Piccata is an easy, but incredibly flavorful, classic Italian dish. Flour-dredged chicken is pan-fried and topped with a lemony butter sauce that’s made with white wine and capers. Shallots, garlic, and fresh parsley are common additions to this recipe.

Your next question then might be, what the heck are capers? I’ve looked up the answer to this question many times because I always forget, but capers are actually flower buds from a plant that is native to the Mediterranean area of the world.

They are pickled in a brine that gives them their signature salty, tangy taste and adds even more zesty flavor to this recipe.

Why This Recipe Works

This is a quick, 30 minute, one pan recipe that you can make on just the stove top. It’s a very easy, family friendly dish that is the perfect busy weeknight dinner, yet still impressive enough to serve guests when entertaining, as well.

It’s zesty, fresh, and delicious and is sure to be a new favorite chicken dinner.

You can even enjoy this healthy recipe if you are following a low carb, keto, or even gluten free diet. There are only 8 net carbs as written, with options to reduce the total carb count even more in the notes section of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Keto Chicken Piccata

What You Need To Make This Recipe

For the chicken, you will need:

• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced thin)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

For the chicken picatta sauce, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 shallot (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup white wine (or you can use chicken broth or chicken bone broth is you prefer not to cook with wine)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup capers (drained)
• fresh parsley (optional garnish)

Chef’s Tip: To lower the net carbs in this recipe even more, you can eliminate the shallot and/or almond flour. The chicken can be cooked with just salt and pepper in the same manner as instructed in the recipe.

The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Prep!

To prepare for this recipe, you might first have to thin out your chicken. You can buy thin cut chicken breasts from some grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, there are a couple of ways to get your chicken thinner for this recipe.

First, you can butterfly larger chicken breasts. You may even need to cut them in half if they are really large.

Second, you can pound out larger chicken breasts by placing a single breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper and hitting it a few times with a meat mallet. Again, larger breasts may need to be cut in half.

Next, dice your shallot, mince the garlic, juice the lemon, and chop the parsley, if you plan to use it.

Create!

Combine the almond flour, salt and pepper on a plate or in a shallow bowl.

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and place on a plate.

You are likely going to need to work in 2 batches to cook the chicken. If you’re able to cook it all at once, you can omit the remaining tablespoon of butter and oil.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter-oil mixture is hot and sizzles when drops of water are sprinkled over it, add half of the chicken.

Note: it’s important to make sure the butter and oil are hot before adding the chicken. This will make it so that the breading stays on and doesn’t get soggy.

Cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 2 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with the second half of the butter, olive oil, and chicken.

Now, let’s move on to how to make the Chicken Piccata sauce.

Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once melted, add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

Slowly pour in the wine, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce by half, scraping up any browned bits.

Once reduced, add the lemon juice and capers and stir.

Place the chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pan to warm through.

Present!

 

Serve the chicken topped with spoonfuls of the piccata sauce and garnished with fresh parsley, if desired.

Tips and Techniques

• To lower the net carbs in this recipe even more, you can eliminate the shallot and/or almond flour. If you eliminate the almond flour, simply pan sear the chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in the skillet.
• You can use chicken stock or, even better, chicken bone broth instead of white wine. I have also made this recipe using a dry sherry wine and it was delicious!
• Store leftovers separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.

FAQ’s

What Do You Serve With Chicken Piccata?

Traditional Chicken Piccata is often served over pasta. If you’re gluten free, you can simply use gluten free pasta.

To keep the recipe low in carbs, you can serve it over roasted spaghetti squash or with a simple side of low carb veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or even Brussels sprouts.

Is Chicken Piccata Low Carb?

Classic Chicken Piccata is not a low carb dish. It’s dredged in wheat flour and often served over pasta.

This recipe uses almond flour to greatly reduce the carb count making it not only low in carbs, but also keto friendly.

Can You Freeze Chicken Piccata?

Yes. Place the chicken in one freezer bag, and the sauce in another. Use within 3 months for the best quality.

Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

More Keto Chicken Recipes

Here are some other keto chicken recipes that you might enjoy:

• Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower
• Creamy Cajun Chicken
• Keto Chicken Divan
• Chicken Fajitas Bowls with Cauliflower Rice
• Creamy Garlic Chicken
• Easy Garlic Chicken + VIDEO
• Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken
• Creamy Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Casserole
• Ranch Bacon Chicken Casserole

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