Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe - Keto Dinner | 4g Net Carbs
⏲ ~27 min total · prep 21 · cook 6 · 4 servings
Dinner⏱ 25 min total🔥 4.0g net carbs⚡ ≈593 kcal/serving~4% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4 cutlets
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pound the 4 cutlets to an even 1/2 inch between parchment, then season both sides with the kosher salt and pepper.
- Stir the almond flour and parmesan together on a plate and press each cutlet into the mixture, shaking off all the loose excess so the coating stays thin.
- Heat the olive oil with 1 tbsp of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat — not high, because the almond flour browns well before wheat flour would. Cook the cutlets 3-4 minutes per side until golden and 165°F inside, working in batches and adding a splash more oil if needed. Transfer to a plate.
- Pour the chicken broth and lemon juice into the empty skillet, boiling 2-3 minutes over medium-high while scraping the browned bits, until reduced by about half.
- Pull the pan off the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tbsp butter along with the capers until the sauce turns silky and coats the back of a spoon.
- Return the cutlets and any juices to the pan for 30 seconds, turning once to glaze, then shower with the parsley and serve right away.
Why this recipe works
- Almond flour dredge Almond flour with parmesan builds a thin golden crust in place of white flour. It browns at medium heat and leaves the dish gluten free without ceremony.
- Pan sauce built on fond Broth and lemon poured into the empty skillet lift the browned bits the cutlets left behind. Boiled down by half, that becomes a sauce in about three minutes.
- Butter off the heat Swirling the last two tablespoons in after the burner goes off keeps the sauce silky instead of greasy. The capers ride in at the same moment so they stay bright.
Tips for making this recipe well
Shake off the excess
Press the cutlets into the almond flour mixture, then shake off every loose bit. Thick coating falls off in the pan and burns in the oil before the chicken finishes.
Medium heat, not high
Almond flour browns faster than wheat flour, so a medium pan buys you the time to cook the cutlets through. High heat produces a dark crust over raw centers.
Reduce before the butter
Boil the broth and lemon two to three minutes, until reduced by about half, before any butter goes in. Butter added early makes the sauce greasy instead of glossy.
Work in batches
Four cutlets crowd a 12-inch skillet fast. Overlapping pieces steam where they touch and the coating goes soggy instead of crisp.
Serve the moment it's done
Piccata waits for nobody; the crust softens under sauce as it sits. Have the table set and the plates warm before the last butter goes in.
Serving suggestions
This is the skillet we reach for when the evening got away and dinner still needs to look considered. Four thin cutlets serve four with something to catch the lemon-caper sauce; cauliflower mash is the natural landing pad. Spoon the sauce over the cutlets rather than under them so the coating stays crisp as long as possible. Parsley goes on at the last second. The whole pan runs 4 grams of net carbs per serving.
Storage and meal prep
Piccata leftovers keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated in a covered container. Expect the crust to soften under the sauce as it sits; that's how the dish works, not a failure. Reheat gently in a skillet and add a spoonful of water or broth to bring the sauce back to silky. Freezing is possible for 2 to 3 months, though almond flour coatings thaw softer than they went in. Store the cutlets and extra sauce together; separating them saves little.
Variations worth trying
- Pork cutlet version Thin pork cutlets take the same dredge and sauce. Cook them to 145°F, the safe mark for whole cuts of pork, instead of the chicken temperature.
- Caper control Capers divide people. Halve the two tablespoons for a gentler sauce, or mash a few into the finishing butter to spread their salt through it.
- Lemon slices in the pan A few thin lemon slices caramelized in the skillet alongside the cutlets make the plate look deliberate and add a soft, bitter edge.
- White wine addition Replace a quarter cup of the broth with dry white wine for a rounder sauce. Let it cook down fully so no harshness remains.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my coating falling off?
Loose flour was left on the cutlets or the pan was crowded. Shake the excess off before the skillet and give each piece room so the coating sets instead of steaming.
Can I make piccata without capers?
You can, and the lemon still carries the sauce. A few chopped green olives bring back some of the briny note capers provide.
How do I keep the almond flour from burning?
Medium heat is the whole answer. Almond flour browns sooner than wheat flour, so give the pan less heat and the cutlets a minute or two more.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Boneless thighs work if you flatten them to the same half inch. They need a few extra minutes to reach 165°F and reward you with juicier meat.
Is the sauce very acidic?
A quarter cup of lemon juice cooks down by half with the broth, which mellows it considerably. The finishing butter rounds the edges further, so it reads bright rather than sour.
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