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Craving comfort food? Whether it's unpleasant and chilly weather, or you're just in the mood for something familiar, this keto friendly dinner will solve your craving!
This super tasty and hearty meal is made with juicy and crispy chicken coated in a crispy gluten free breading. Smother in sauce, lots of cheese, and add lots of zucchini for good measure. 😉 Don't forget the fresh basil. We have a feeling everyone in your family is going to love it!
Looking for more keto chicken recipes? Be sure to check out this mozzarella stuffed chicken wrapped in parma ham, this chicken and butternut squash recipe, or this decadent jalapeño popper chicken skillet. We know our chicken pomodoro recipe will become a family favorite!
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❤️Why you'll love this recipe
- Ultimate comfort food - Chicken parmesan is truly one of the yummiest meals out there, so it's great to have a gluten free & keto version to enjoy!
- Great for the whole family - Got picky eaters? They're going to love
- Perfect for meal prep - Don't feel like cooking every night this week? We get it! Add this meal to your rotation and reheat it all week.
- Simple ingredients - You can find everything you need for this recipe at your local grocery store! Made with keto pantry staples, and everyday items.
🍅Ingredients
✏️Ingredient notes
Find the full quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - Cut into strips to make a chicken tenders shape. You could use chicken cutlets or chicken thighs if you prefer. Cooked shredded chicken would also be a great option to use up leftovers.
- Egg & heavy cream - To make the egg wash so the pork rind crumbs can stick to.
- Pork rind crumbs - This is to replace regular breadcrumbs and make the chicken crunchy when we fry it. You don't have to buy them as crumbs, you could always crush some regular pork rinds.
- Avocado oil - For frying the chicken tenders. You could probably use olive oil if you want, as long as you keep the heat under 375°F when frying.
- Zucchini - We use zucchini as the veggie base for this casserole. Make sure to salt it before you start and let it sit on paper towel or in a colander so the excess moisture can escape, and not end up in your casserole. You could try cauliflower rice, or cabbage instead of zucchini if you prefer.
- Mozzarella cheese - We use a mixture of shredded mozzarella cheese (low moisture, part skim) in the filling of the casserole, and fresh mozzarella to top the chicken casserole.
- Parmesan cheese - Shredded for both inside the casserole and in the breading mixed with the pork rind crumbs.
- Ricotta cheese - For a creamy and rich texture for the casserole filling!
- Dry seasonings - We use a mixture of kosher salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes.
- Marinara - Choose a low sugar version, or even your own homemade marinara sauce. One of these days we will make a recipe for you guys to make your own!
- Fresh basil - Optional, but so good!
📖Instructions
Prepare zucchini
Place zucchini pieces on a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt to absorb the excess water. Set aside while you work.
Prep the chicken tenders
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. It will need to reach 375°F before adding the chicken.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg and heavy cream, then create a dredging station with the pork rind crumbs, shredded parmesan cheese, and remaining salt and pepper, and half the dry seasoning mix.
Dredge the chicken cutlets in the egg wash, then in the pork rind and parmesan seasoning mixture. Press the chicken in to coat well with a thick coating.
Fry the chicken tenders
Drop into hot oil (keep oil between 350°F and 375°F) and fry in batches until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
After cooking, set aside on a cooling rack over paper towel to catch excess grease.
Prepare the casserole filling
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Dry zucchini with paper towel, getting rid of as much excess water as possible.
In a large bowl, combine ricotta, half the parmesan, shredded mozzarella, half of the marinara sauce, some fresh basil, remaining dry seasonings, and mix. Add to the casserole dish.
Assemble
Top the zucchini mixture with chicken pieces, then cover the chicken with remaining marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheese all over top of the casserole.
Bake
Place in the oven and bake until golden and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Cover the casserole with foil if the cheese is browning too much and the zucchini still isn't soft. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
✨Notes, tips & tricks
- We did not include oil for frying in the nutrition facts because it's impossible to know how much oil your chicken will absorb. The size of your skillet will also determine how much oil you should use. (You will need enough oil to make sure it is 2 inches deep).
- The marinara sauce you use can impact the amount of sugar and carbs in the meal. We love Rao's Homemade.
- Make sure to take the extra step of removing excess water from the zucchini to reduce water pooling up at the bottom of your casserole.
💭Frequently asked questions
The answer is yes - but we haven't tested this recipe without pork rinds yet. Pork rinds add a lovely crunch to the gluten free breading.
You could swap pork rinds for almond flour 1:1, but be warned that almond flour burns faster than pork rinds, so you will have to keep a close on the chicken tenders while they fry, and currently we can't offer any advice on cooking times.
Yes. Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F until chicken is golden brown and cooked through - about 20 minutes. We're not sure if the breading will adhere as well in this scenario as we haven't tried it ourselves.
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🥣Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, in the oven, or air fryer.
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📖 Recipe
Keto Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Ingredients
For the seasoning mixture (used on the zucchini filling and the chicken parmesan 'breading'):
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the chicken parmesan tenders:
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 pounds chicken breast cutlets (could use tenders)
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 ounces pork rind crumbs (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 ounces shredded parmesan cheese (about ½ a cup)
- Avocado oil for frying chicken, about 2 inches deep in your skillet (not included in the nutrition facts, because we don't know how much oil your chicken will absorb.
For the cheesy zucchini casserole mixture:
- 26 ounces zucchini
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to drain excess water from the zucchini)
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- 5 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
- 16 ounces ricotta
- 1 ounce fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- Start by salting your zucchini with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and setting on paper towel while you work on the rest to draw out excess moisture.
For the chicken parmesan:
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Reserve some of the salt and pepper to add to the breading. Heat the avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Your skillet should be at least 10.25". We use a 12" size.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg and heavy cream, then create a dredging station with the pork rind crumbs, shredded parmesan cheese, and remaining salt and pepper, and half the dry seasoning mix.
- Dredge the chicken cutlets in the egg wash, then in the pork rind and parmesan seasoning mixture. Press the chicken in to coat well with a thick coating. Drop into hot oil (keep oil between 350°F and 375°F) and fry in batches until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on each side. After cooking, set aside on a cooling rack over paper towel to catch excess grease.
For the casserole:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Dry zucchini with paper towel, getting rid of as much excess water as possible. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, half the parmesan, shredded mozzarella, half of the marinara sauce, some fresh basil, remaining dry seasonings, and mix. Add to the casserole dish.
- Top the zucchini mixture with chicken pieces, then cover the chicken with remaining marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheese all over top of the casserole. Place in the oven and bake until golden and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Cover the casserole with foil if the cheese is browning too much and the zucchini still isn't soft. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- We did not include oil for frying in the nutrition facts because it's impossible to know how much oil your chicken will absorb. The size of your skillet will also determine how much oil you should use. (You will need enough oil to make sure it is 2 inches deep).
- The marinara sauce you use can determine the amount of sugar and carbs in the meal. We love Rao's Homemade.
- If you don't eat pork, you can probably use almond flour in its place to bread the chicken tenders. We haven't actually tried it ourselves. Just be aware that it will burn faster.
- Make sure to take the extra step of removing excess water from the zucchini to reduce water pooling up at the bottom of your casserole.
Holly Cortez says
The chicken part of the recipe was good. If I make it again I would do the chicken as directed, pour a small amount of marinara over top with cheese and warm it in the oven. Do something different with zucchini and skip the rest of it.
Briana says
Thank you for sharing your experience Holly! It sounds like you found some tweaks you liked. I'd love to know if there was anything specific about the original recipe I could improve. Hope you enjoy your version next time!