These healthy chicken breasts are pan-seared and then roasted until tender and juicy. They pair fantastically well with a creamy lemon caper sauce. These pan fried and baked chicken breasts are a tasty and flavorful dinner that’s both comforting and low carb/keto friendly. The chicken breasts are seasoned and coated with almond flour before being dipped in egg and then fried on a hot skillet. Each side of the chicken breasts develops a nicely browned crisp skin, and then they’re transferred to the oven to roast until tender.

The sauce is probably the best part: a thick and creamy sauce with capers, along with a strong lemon flavor and a bit of garlic. The sauce is poured over the roasted chicken breasts, and there’s plenty left over to coat the exposed chicken slices.

Baking times for chicken breasts can vary a lot depending on the thickness of the chicken. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the thickest part of the chicken breast, which should read at least 165 F. You don’t want undercooked chicken and you also don’t want overcooked chicken, which will be tougher to chew.

I typically pound chicken breasts to flatten or slice horizontally through particularly thick ones; this ensures that the chicken pieces are all of the same thickness and will cook at the same rates. It takes me approximately 20 to 30 minutes to cook a 3/4 to 1 inch thick chicken breast at 350 F. I chose a low carb vegetable — zucchini “noodles” — to accompany the chicken (and to help sop up the delicious creamy sauce, of course). I don’t spiralize the zucchini myself; I usually buy pre-spiralized zucchini at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. To cook them, I give them a quick zap in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. If you don’t like zucchini, other great ideas include steamed broccoli florets. You can prepare and cook the broccoli while the chicken is baking.

If you don’t have almond flour, you can substitute with any other kind of flour such as all-purpose wheat flour, coconut flour, gluten-free flour, paleo flour, etc. Just remember that the net carbs count in the recipe’s nutrition facts below will change if you substitute ingredients.

Closeup view of sliced chicken breasts with capers and a creamy lemon sauce

Pan Seared and Baked Chicken with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce

These healthy chicken breasts are pan-seared and then roasted until tender and juicy. They pair fantastically well with a creamy lemon caper sauce.

  • Prep Time 15 minutes
  • Cook Time 30 minutes
  • Servings 2 servings
  • Calories 1110 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 eggs well beaten
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • salt and pepper

For creamy caper sauce:

  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup diced onions
  • 2 tablespoons capers drained
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced

For serving:

  • 4 ounces zucchini noodles cooked

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a large baking sheet. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.

  2. Pound to flatten all chicken breasts to uniform thickness. Or slice horizontally to reduce thickness.

  3. Prepare 2 shallow plates, one with almond flour and the other with beaten egg. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, patting down with the flour to coat well, and then in the egg, coating both sides. Transfer the chicken to the hot pan. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet. Repeat for all chicken breasts. Turn off the heat.

  4. Transfer the baking sheet with the chicken to the oven. Bake until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of at least 165 F), about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Transfer the chicken breasts to a serving plate.

  5. While the chicken is baking, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, and capers, cooking until the garlic browns, about a minute, stirring occasionally.

  6. Add lemon juice to the pan and stir. Add heavy whipping cream and butter, stirring until the butter has melted. Let the sauce simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low to keep the sauce warm while you wait for the chicken to bake.

  7. When the chicken is cooked, give the caper sauce a stir and pour it over the chicken and zucchini noodles. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Notes

This recipe yields 9 g net carbs per serving.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving
Calories 1110
Total Fat 84g 128%
   Saturated Fat 36g 180%
   Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 497mg 166%
Sodium 940mg 39%
Potassium 800mg 23%
Total Carb 13g 4%
   Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
   Sugars 3.5g
Protein 65g
Vitamin A 41% · Vitamin C 27% · Calcium 14% · Iron 21%