This Lightened Up Chicken Parmesan recipe is baked with rich marinara and gooey mozzarella cheese making it the perfect dish for weeknight dinners or meal prep. These breasts are encrusted with Italian seasoning and loaded with flavor.
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This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated.
Have you ordered chicken parmesan while dining out? Or have you also made it for yourself at home? A good substitute for breadcrumbs is almond meal. Check out the details below.
Table of Contents
What Type of Chicken to Use
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts will work great. Slice them in half to make cutlets. You can also use skinless chicken thighs, but they are typically smaller in size.
How to Make Lightened Up Chicken Parmesan
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to create 4 thinner chicken breasts.
- Combine almond meal, parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken breasts. Stir to combine.
- Place the egg in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken.
- Dip the chicken in the egg and then the almond meal mixture.
- Place the chicken on the parchment paper and repeat for the remaining chicken.
- Spray the top of each breast with cooking oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to test if the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees.
- Remove from oven, spoon the marinara sauce over each piece of chicken and top each with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 5-8 more minutes or until cheese is melted
How Many Calories and Carbs
Each serving has 385 calories and 3 net carbs.
What Type of Marinara Sauce to Use
Raos Homemade Marinara is a great balanced and sugar free option. I also have a homemade Marinara Sauce recipe you can check out.
The Difference Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal
Almond flour is made from blanched almonds and typically have the skins removed and is ground more finely than almond meal. It's commonly used in baked goods and bread recipes.
Almond meal typically still contains the skins and is more coarse. Almond meal works better for recipes that require breading. You can use almond flour in this recipe, but the results will differ. You can read more about The Differences Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal here.
How to Reheat
For crunchy chicken, the best way to reheat this recipe is in an air fryer or the oven. Even with the oven, reheating this recipe will not provide the same texture as it tastes fresh from the oven.
Do you have an air fryer? I've also made a version of this recipe using my air fryer. You can find my Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan recipe here.
Pair this Dish with These Sides
Air Fryer French Fries
Air Fryer Baked Potato
Air Fryer Onion Rings
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Roasted Ranch Potatoes
Creamy Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
More Dinner Recipes
Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Smothered Steak
Lemon Pepper Fish
Lightened Up Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 skinless chicken breasts about 16-20oz total
- ½ cup almond meal The amount you will need will vary based on the size of your chicken. Use enough so that both sides of the chicken are fully coated.
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated I buy block cheese and grate.
- 2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- cooking oil (I use olive oil)
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded I buy block cheese and grate.
- ¾ cup Raos marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to create 4 thinner chicken breasts. Place the chicken breasts on a hard surface and pound them to completely flatten.
- Combine the almond meal, parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken breasts. Stir to combine.
- Place the egg in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken.
- Dip the chicken in the egg and then the almond meal mixture.
- Place the chicken on the parchment paper and repeat for the remaining chicken. Your hands will get sticky. You may want to keep a moist towel nearby and wipe your hands after breading each.
- Spray the top of each breast with cooking oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to test if the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees.
- Remove from oven, spoon the marinara sauce over each piece of chicken and top each with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 5-8 more minutes or until cheese is melted
- Allow the chicken to cool before serving.
Video
Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)
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Shiho says
Look great and delicious with almond meal crust! I will definitely try that substitution 😀 Thank you for the low carb recipe.
Jennifer Banz says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Sabrina says
Can the leftovers be frozen if individually wrap then vacuumed sealed?
staysnatched says
I haven't tried this, but I would assume so.
Sarah says
The BEST chicken parmesan I've ever had! A lot easier than I imagined it would be. I used a combination of almond flour and Italian bread crumbs, so not Keto, but still light. My philistines ate it without complaint too, which is a big deal for the 4 year old. Can't wait to make this again.
staysnatched says
I love that the kiddos loved it!
Kristi Cassady says
There isn't bread crumbs in this. Just almond flour and parm with seasoning
staysnatched says
She added them.
Karen says
Love this! So good! The explanation and details above and beyond the recipe card are gold!
staysnatched says
YAY! Glad you enjoyed that.
Jamie says
Easy and tasty! I made it with chicken thighs and almond flour because that's what I had on hand. It was great!
Thank you.
staysnatched says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Aja says
This was so easy to make and the meat was well done and moist. Rolling the chicken out helped a ton.
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Breanna says
This is amazing!! I made some for a friend who came over and my boyfriend got jealous so here I am making this recipe two days in a row! It's so good, super easy to follow and I don't feel weighed down eating it unlike restaurant ones. Make this!
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Sara Solano says
Loved making this recipe. It was a lifesaver during my first weeks of doing keto. I make it for my whole family every other week now. It tastes even better than your regular chicken parm. My husband didn’t even notice the chicken wasn’t fried.
staysnatched says
Awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Kari says
Great chicken parm, dish easy to make even the kids ate it!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed it.
Lanesha says
This recipe came out great! I’m have a nut allergy so I used CarbQuik in place of the almond meal. The chicken still came out crispy in the air fryer. I’ll definitely be making it again!
staysnatched says
Such a great idea! I'm glad it worked!
MrsBernieMadoff says
In the oven right now melting the cheese in the final 8 mins, having with mac & cheese shells. I love everything this sistha/lady makes she is such a good healthy cook...OMGAWD😁😆😆😆😋😋😛😛😂😂😂
staysnatched says
haha love to hear it!
Jordan says
Made this the other night and it was *fantastic*! The breading is so good that I cut up some chicken thighs and made nuggets using the leftovers. My daughter says she doesn’t like the “texture” of chicken, but kept begging to have more of both! Though, honestly, I’ve never had a bad recipe from Stay Snatched!
staysnatched says
haha I'm glad she loved it!
Heather says
This was incredible and I tasted absolutely no difference compared to using “normal” bread crumbs. I served with zucchini noodles and some extra marinara with a little grated parmesan (fresh - iykyk) on top. A big enough hit that my partner is describing the recipe in detail on the phone with mom as I type! Thanks as always!
staysnatched says
You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Jaylene says
Love this recipe! I appreciate the easy to follow steps and it came out delicious! Quickly became a favorite in my house!
staysnatched says
Glad to hear it!
Monica O says
So good, and tasted just as good as the full carb version! I added crushed red pepper for a kick, but aside from that it was perfect! Quick, easy, and so much healthier than takeout.
staysnatched says
So glad to hear it!