This dairy-free and Paleo Chicken Parmesan has all the flavors of the real deal! Crisp “breaded” chicken cutlets are layered with marinara and a flavor-packed cashew “cheese” sauce that’s perfect for any special dinner. Gluten-free, no sugar added, dairy-free.
I was so excited when I discovered a “cheese” sauce that LEGIT tastes like cheese after making my roasted garlic pizza. Groundbreaking stuff!
Especially because it’s seriously the easiest thing to throw together in a blender.
I knew I had to use it (or a variation) for new recipes and I had a paleo version of chicken parmesan on the brain for awhile.
Well, last week I went for it and the final product was probably even better than I predicted! It’s totally family friendly (and trust me – I have a PICKY family!) and not a bite went to waste.
I started out with a variation on my original chicken cutlets.
After experimenting with the crispy chicken from this salad, I decided to eliminate the coconut flour to simplify the recipe.
I also prefer the flavor of the “breading” sans coconut flour, although the difference is small.
The cutlets are dredged in egg and a seasoned almond flour/tapioca mixture, then fried in coconut oil.
I recommend either buying thin-sliced chicken breasts OR pounding them to about 1/2″ thickness.
I have a pet peeve when it comes to thick chicken cutlets! Thinner also means they’ll fry perfectly.
The rest of the recipe is basically no work at all. The cheese sauce can be blended up either before or after frying the cutlets.
I used a Nutribullet and didn’t even need to soak the cashews – the sauce blended it under a minute.
While the sauce has a cheesy flavor, the consistency is creamy, not stretchy like the mozzarella cheese in traditional chicken parmesan.
I honestly don’t care and love the creaminess along with the marinara sauce!
As for the marinara, you can use any you like. I have two favorites that contain no sugar or other additives – Rao’s and Cucina Antica.
Both I believe you can find at most of your local grocery stores.
Since you’re not actually melting the cheese here, you won’t need to bake for long – just to heat everything through.
To avoid baking altogether, you could heat your sauce separately, however, I tend to find that to be more work than simply throwing the whole dish in the oven for 10 minutes!
The result, creamy, cheesy, chicken parm flavor with no dairy at all, no added sugar, no gluten or grains.
It’s perfect to serve over zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles, or spaghetti squash to make a full meal, packed with veggies, protein, good fats, and flavor!
I hope you’re ready for a savory, healthy treat that you won’t believe is dairy-free! Grab your blender and a big skillet and let’s go!
Paleo Chicken Parmesan {Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free}
Paleo Chicken Parmesan {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
Ingredients
“Cheese” Sauce:
- 3/4 cup cashews no need to soak
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Chicken:
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts thin sliced or pounded to 1/2" thickness
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
- 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend no salt added
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- dash red pepper flakes optional
- 1 large egg whisked
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil or avocado oil, for frying. Add more as needed
- 25 oz jar marinara sauce no added sugar
- Minced parsley for garnish
Instructions
Cheese Sauce:
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Place all ingredients in a small high speed blender or food processor. I used my NutriBullet for this and it was fast and easy. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, transfer to a small bowl if desired and set aside.
Chicken:
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Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium shallow bowl (you will dredge the cutlets in the mixture). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
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Have your whisked egg in a shallow bowl and heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil Depending on the size of your skillet, you might have to fry these in 2 batches, so have additional cooking fat ready in case you need more.
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Once the skillet it preheated (you can see if a drop of the dry mixture sizzles), dip one cutlet in the egg, shaking off excess, then coat in the dry mixture, shaking off excess. Place the chicken in the pan, then repeat the process for each piece of chicken.
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Cook on one side until medium-golden brown (2 minutes) and crisp, then carefully turn over the chicken with tongs and cook the second side until golden brown and juices run clear, about 2 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken.
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Place about 1 1/2 cups marinara in the bottom of a 9x13” baking dish. Place the fried chicken cutlets over the sauce layer. Spoon 2 Tbsp more sauce on each cutlet, then follow with the same amount of cheese sauce (or as much as desired.)
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Bake in the preheated oven for 5-10 mins or until just heated through. This is only to heat through, so do not keep it in the oven too long. Serve right away alone or over cooked spaghetti squash, sweet potato noodles, or zoodles. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Chicken Recipes? Try One of These!
Paleo General Tso’s Chicken in the Instant Pot
One Skillet Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
One Skillet Lemon Garlic Chicken
Chicken, Bacon, Broccoli, and “Rice” Casserole
Honey Mustard Chicken in the Instant Pot
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Do you think the cheese sauce would freeze well?? Love this recipe and want to make ahead!
This is my husbands absolute favorite! We are doing more low carb these days…is there a low carb alternative to the tapioca flour? Would coconut flour work? Thank you!
Oh my goodness! This recipe is so simple and so delicious! Breading stays on and is so flavorful! Cashew “cheese” sauce tastes so much like Alfredo sauce! Will definitely be making again!
So flavorful! Even my husband liked it who isn’t doing Whole30. Only difference with his was his had mozzarella.
Thank you. This is an ultimate favorite in my household now.
The chicken had to cook way longer in the oven. I took it out after 10 minutes and the center of it was still very pink. I pounded them thin AND did two minutes on each side in the cast iron. I ended up having to cook them for 25 minutes total in the oven.
We made this tonight, with the exception of the cashew cheese sauce, because we didn’t have any cashews. Instead I used Trade Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella and it was delicious. Will make it again and try the cashew sauce. We Loved It!
This is the best chicken parmesan ever!! The breading was soooo delicious along with the “cheese”! Very impressed! But then again, I am always impressed with your recipes!
This was delicious! I was able to make this dairy-free and gluten-free to meet all the needs of my family special diets. We worked together as a team to get the chicken made –very fun family recipe!!
This recipe was so good and full of flavor. It tasted like chicken tenders.