Baked Chicken Recipe Low Carb and Satisfying!

This keto baked chicken recipe is an easy dinner recipe for juicy, tender, flavorful chicken with a low carb crispy coating to satisfy that fried chicken craving. Made with boneless skinless chicken breasts and ready in just 30 minutes!

BAKED CHICKEN GOOD AS FRIED

The main challenge I had was to create low carb baked chicken as good as fried chicken, but without frying.

While frying done right shouldn’t necessarily make a dish automatically unhealthy, the small amount of oil absorbed in the process does up the calorie count. Even more so with those deep fried, or double fried chicken recipes.

Plus, when we fry chicken, or create fried-chicken surrogates, we tend to heavily rely on sugar spiking simple carbs to create that crispy skin crunch we’re looking for.

This baked chicken recipe racks up only 3 Weight Watchers freestyle points but is still incredible, down-your-chin juicy chicken, flavorful, and crispy. You won’t even miss the oil. And you especially won’t miss the clean up of oil splatters!

GOING LOW CARB OR KETO

Breaded baked chicken is usually one of those foods that people write off the list when they’re dieting or have food restrictions. No longer! Whether you’re going keto or low carb, baked chicken is here to stay.

The key to diet-friendly baked chicken is to make smart swaps. Cut out or reduce foods you’re trying to avoid (they aren’t “bad”) and add in alternatives that still give you the flavor and texture you’re looking for.

When I’m trying to create a healthy alternative for our regular dishes, especially ones that I know my kids like, I do a secret test. If they devour the updated version like the original, I know I have a home run. At our house, this one was out of the park, for sure.

Below, I offer you the best baked chicken, whether you’re trying to lose weight or not!

KETO CHICKEN RECIPES

As more people start to experiment with keto diets, I find the most requested search we get is keto chicken recipes. Just because you’re adjusting your macronutrients doesn’t mean you want to start eating a bunch of unfamiliar or unappealing foods.

You want to be able to eat the foods you love, just with less carbs, or even just less on your plate.

Another difficulty with being on a special diet can be finding a way to mesh the diet guidelines with what the rest of your family wants to eat. But this baked chicken recipe gives you only 5 carbs per serving and is still something the entire family will still love.

The secret? A mix of parmesan cheese, almond flour, and panko bread crumbs.

By using the parmesan and almond flour, we can reduce the amount of bread crumbs needed. And panko bread crumbs are the best bread crumb for the keto diet because they are incredibly crispy and fluffy, and soak up less oil than regular bread crumbs. You can read more about using panko bread crumbs in keto cooking (and other bread crumb substitutes) here.

If you are strictly focused on low carb, and don’t care about fat content, use chicken thighs or breasts with the skin on for an even crispier crunch. Just remember to adjust your cooking time depending on the cut you use.

You’ll soothe that noisy fried chicken craving but won’t sacrifice your health, or your diet. And be sure to check out these other keto chicken recipes that are both keto and family friendly.

• Chicken Wrapped Asparagus with Bacon
• Raspberry Orange Chicken
• Keto Crispy Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Tortilla Soup (skip the tortillas to make this low carb!)
• Creamy Chicken Bake
• Keto Turmeric Chicken
• Keto Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Peppers
• Low Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
• Pesto Stuffed Chicken with Bacon

HOW TO BAKE CHICKEN

Ready to learn how to bake chicken? The steps below will help you create a flavorful and tender oven baked chicken breast that’s just as good as fried. And it’s ready in just 30 minutes!

• Preheat the oven to 400.
• Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. You could also use parchment paper for easy clean up.
• Mix Panko bread crumbs, almond flour, cheese, and chicken seasoning (we use Italian seasoning in this recipe) in a shallow dish or bowl. Glass baking dishes work great for this.
• If chicken is overly damp out of the package, pat dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, & garlic powder.
• Spray both sides of the chicken with olive oil spray.
• Dredge each chicken breast in the breadcrumb mixture and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to press slightly to completely coat the chicken in the breadcrumbs and keep the breading from falling off.
• Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 – 20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken’s internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

HOW LONG DO YOU BAKE CHICKEN?

Getting perfectly baked chicken is a challenge for lots of us – how long do you bake chicken? At what temperature?

For this recipe, I opt for a slightly higher temperature (400 degrees F) but for a shorter period of time (15-20 minutes). This ratio always gives me that crunchy crust without over or undercooking the chicken. The perfect combination!

However, the ratio might differ slightly depending on the size of your chicken pieces. There are some chicken “breasts” out there that weigh a pound or more on their own! If your chicken pieces are more than say ¼ pound (4 ounces), you might want to butterfly or slice your breasts into smaller pieces.

On the other hand, if you’re using breast tenders, the smaller pieces only need 8-10 minutes to cook through.

Your best bet is to use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperature of your chicken before you think it’s done. You want it to be 165 degrees F. If it’s lower, you risk food poisoning, much higher, and you end up with dry tough chicken.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BAKED CHICKEN

No matter what you pair your baked chicken with, you’ll have a healthy, diet-friendly dish your family will love. Here’s a few of our favorite side dishes for baked chicken.

• Cauliflower Rice
• Quinoa Stuffed Squash
• Paleo Sweet Potato Hash
• Butternut Squash Latkes
• Coconut Ginger Sweet Potato Casserole
• Goat Cheese Stuffed Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• Balsamic Strawberry Asparagus
• Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin

PIN TO SAVE FOR LATER

Don’t forget to pin it so you can easily find the recipe when you need a last minute chicken dinner!