Oven-Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken

My version of Parmesan-crusted chicken is low-carb, gluten-free, and easy! Simply coat the chicken, then bake it until hot and crispy.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Rest time 5

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 452kcal

Avocado oil spray
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup almond meal 4 ounces; See notes below
½ cup Parmesan cheese grated ; 1.5 ounces
4 chicken breasts small, 6-7 ounces each
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons parsley chopped

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and fit it with a roasting rack. Spray the roasting rack with oil.
In a small bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix the mustard, garlic powder, thyme, and cayenne.
In an 8-inch square baking dish, combine the almond meal and parmesan.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides, then brush them with the Dijon mixture. Dredge them in the almond meal/parmesan mixture.
Place the coated chicken breasts on the prepared roasting rack. Sprinkle them with paprika (mostly to add a nice color) and lightly spray them with oil.
Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 20 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle it with chopped parsley and serve.

It's best to use coarse almond meal instead of fine almond flour. But if all you have is almond flour, that's fine!
Use breadcrumbs instead of almond meal if you don't mind the cabs/gluten. The nutrition info will change.
It's best to use small chicken breasts weighing 6-7 ounces each. Large chicken breasts need to be baked for longer, and the coating can become overly browned. If your chicken breasts are large and you need to bake them for longer than 20 minutes, loosely cover them with foil after the first 20 minutes to prevent the tops from burning. An 8-ounce chicken breast will need around 30 minutes in a 425°F oven, but check with a thermometer to make sure it's done.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The coating will lose its crispness, though. I usually slice the leftovers and use them cold as a salad topping. However, you can also reheat the leftovers in a 350°F oven to restore some of their crispness.