This Keto Chicken Piccata recipe has crunchy chicken and the most delicious lemon caper sauce. All topped off with a generous amount of shaved parmesan. It's the perfect low-carb one-pan dinner!
Keto Chicken Piccata = heaven in a skillet. Seriously, it's SO good and so comforting. This classic dish is super easy to make and can be on your table in less than 30 minutes. It will quickly become a family favorite.
History of Chicken Piccata
Piccata is a word that describes a preparation method. In this case, meat pounded flat then sauteed in a sauce of butter, lemon, and parsley. Traditionally, Italian Piccata uses veal whereas the Americanized versions most often use chicken. There's a debate as to where the dish originated but it's obviously Italian with a strong Italian immigrant influence.
Ingredients you'll need to make this Keto Chicken Piccata recipe
For the breading & chicken:
- whey protein isolate = the crunchiest chicken EVER! We realized that whey protein made the best breading that's low-carb and gluten-free when we were writing our cookbook.
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper - we love this black pepper from Diaspora Co. It's fruity and bold and oh so perfect. Plus, what's better than supporting organic farmers directly with a living wage and healthcare?
- Italian seasoning
- chicken cutlets - or chicken breasts pounded out into ½" thickness
For frying and the sauce:
- olive oil - our go-to is Braggs but we also have loved Brightland and Oracle lately.
- unsalted butter - unsalted, always, so that you can control the amount of salt in the dish
- yellow onion
- garlic - fresh, never packaged + pre-minced
- dry white wine - a pinot grigio works well here
- lemon juice + zest
- capers - magically pops of acid + salt = heaven
- parmesan cheese - freshly grated works best, not the shelf-stable kind
- garnishes - fresh Italian parsley, lemon slices, and extra capers
How to make Keto Chicken Piccata
- Place the whey protein, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings on a plate and mix together.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan.
- Working in batches, dredge the chicken cutlets in the whey protein and seasonings mixture, then carefully place in the skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside, repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan. Next, add in the onions and cook until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add garlic to the pan, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then immediately add in white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers. Cook until reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- After the sauce has reduced, add the chicken into the pan to warm through. Garnish with parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon slices, and capers to serve.
Cast-iron skillet versus other cookware
You don't have to have a cast-iron skillet to make this recipe but we're obviously fans of this kitchen workhorse. You can use any skillet you have on hand.
What to serve with Keto Chicken Piccata
We love this lemon chicken piccata with a Keto friendly pasta or even just a large leafy green salad. You could even do a simple salad as we serve with our Steak and Greens recipe. You could even do a spiralized zucchini noodle!
Cauliflower rice is another vegetable side option. It soaks up the sauce and is pretty tasty, even if you're not usually a cauliflower fan.
How to make this recipe dairy-free
You can swap in vegan butter, (we like Miyokos), as well as vegan parmesan (we like Violife).
You'll also need to bread the chicken in something other than whey protein. We vote for a pork rind crumb like we use in our Keto Schnitzel recipe.
Nutritional Information
As always, you can find the complete nutritional information listed at the bottom of the recipe card. Info is per serving and the serving size can be found at the top of the recipe card.
How to store leftovers
This dish is best consumed immediately after making it since the chicken will lose its crispiness once stored. Don't get us wrong, the leftovers are still delicious. However, you don't necessarily want to make this ahead of time as a meal-prep option.
Looking for more Keto Italian Inspired Recipes? Check these out
- Keto Garlic Bread Italian Meatball Sliders
- Hot Italian Chicken Skillet
- Italian Sausage Peppers and Onions
- Keto Italian Sub Sandwich Casserole
- Easy Bruschetta Chicken
- Keto Chicken Parmesan
Keto Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
For the breading & chicken:
- ¼ cup whey protein isolate
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 lb chicken cutlets
For frying and the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ½ yellow onion diced (56 grams)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup capers drained and rinsed
- Parsley parmesan cheese, lemon slices, capers for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place the whey protein isolate, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning on a plate and mix well.
- Heat a 10.25” or larger skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan.
- Working in batches, dredge chicken in the whey protein and seasonings mixture, then add immediately to the pan. Cook until browned for about 3-4 minutes per side, then remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan, then add in onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic to the pan, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then immediately add in white wine, lemon juice and zest, and capers. Cook until reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lisa says
My daughter loves chicken piccata, and yours looks awesome!💕
Cast Iron Keto says
Thank you! We hope you give it a try.
Terri says
I have a question. What would the carb count be if I used chicken stock instead of white wine? We don't drink and don't keep alcohol in the house.
Cast Iron Keto says
Hi Terri, the wine adds about 6g total carbs for the entire recipe - hope this helps!
Shelbel says
I made this last night for dinner. Easy to put together. I used 1 lb of frozen chicken tenderloins (Costco) that thaw quickly in a baggie and set in cold water, and then pounded for even thickness. Took longer than 3-5 minutes - more like 8 minutes per side to cook. Sauce was delicious. I used chicken broth (we don't drink alcohol and it reduced the recipe to 3g net carbs per serving!). Again recipe doesn't state when to add the chicken back in, but I did so before it totally reduced so it could catch all the flavor and cook some more. Chicken was tender and extremely flavorful. I had leftover "cauliflower tots" that I placed on the plate and placed chicken picata on top with a scoop of the sauce. Delicious! Will definitely make again. Thank you. 🙂