Crispy Baked Lemon Parmesan Chicken – a baked breaded chicken with fresh lemon, butter, garlic, and Parmesan. All the flavors of your favorite scampi dish, but in a healthier, oven-baked version.
Healthier Baked Breaded Chicken
Crispy Baked Lemon Parmesan Chicken was the brainchild of watching an old favorite episode of Ina Garten’s show after coming home from a lunch in San Francisco hosted by Foster Farms, who generously sponsored this post.
watch me make this lemon parmesan chicken:
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Baked Breaded Chicken and the New Comfort Food
The discussion at the lunch centered around “New Comfort Food,” which includes:
- fresh and local ingredients
- time-saving cooking methods
- Healthier amounts of oils and fats
- Along with fresh vegetables and fruits
To me, the concept really symbolized the way we can take recipes we’ve long loved and refresh them to fit the healthier style of cooking that is so important today.
Swapping out the shrimp for Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken was an easy swap since I had chicken on the brain, but losing about half the butter, adding in freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice and zest, fresh parsley and baking this lemon parmesan chicken made it really come alive with flavor.
Foster Farms is committed to providing its customers with California raised, high-quality products as it has been doing since 1939. 
This Baked Lemon Chicken is Light, Refreshing
The lemon and garlic were punches of flavor and the baked breaded chicken was so moist from baking it with the protective coating of panko and the melted butter that is drizzled on top. The chicken, the star of the dish, is raised with no antibiotics ever and a 100% vegetarian diet.
My husband and I have memories of making the original version of this buttery, baked lemon chicken when we were first dating. It’s rich and delicious, but you were always left feeling sort of heavy afterward. This baked breaded chicken dish was the opposite, served with some roasted asparagus and a light salad made with a lemon vinaigrette, we felt satisfied and happy without feeling like we’d each eaten a stick of butter. Don’t worry, we still love you, Ina. 
lemon parmesan chicken and GARLIC, lots of garlic!
You’ll love how easy this baked breaded chicken comes together. Just like a normal breaded chicken, the flavor is kicked up with the addition of butter and lemon juice and ALL THAT GARLIC. Cooked at a higher temperature than you normally would for boneless, skinless chicken, it browns and gets crispy while still staying moist and juicy inside. 
Ingredients
- 4 boneless , skinless Foster Farms Simply Raised chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons parsley , finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and lemon zest to a bowl and mix.
- If you use pre-shredded Parmesan pulse it in a small food processor until the pieces are around the same size at the panko.
- In a second bowl add the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, lemon juice and eggs and whisk them together.
- Dip the chicken into the egg mixture then press into the panko mixture well on both sides.
- Place carefully into a greased pan.
- Carefully pour the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter evenly over the pieces of chicken.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
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Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken
So about that event in San Francisco! We ate and ate and ate our way through a fabulous fresh meal full of Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken. 
We were stuffed by the end of the lunch and even given to go chicken and quinoa lettuce wraps for the road (which was good since I was hardly able to finish lunch!).
Ira Brill, of Foster Farms, led a discussion along with a chef and a consumer psychologist regarding what comfort food means to people today and how a sizable shift has occurred in recent years towards people being much more aware of where the food they eat comes from and how it affects their health. 
Today’s idea of comfort food may be a fresh tomato and garlic chicken pasta instead of the classic chicken parmesan dish that used to be popular. The amount of knowledge people have today when it comes to food has been the driving force behind this shift.
The flavors may be similar, but the freshness, the quality of ingredients and the cooking methods have all gotten a facelift.
It was a great event, and I was honored to be invited. Thank you to Foster Farms for sponsoring this post, we enjoyed every last bite!
You are by far the best cook out there. I always look forward to trying your recipes because they are easy to follow, very tasty and down to earth good. I’m a recipe and recipe book collector and you have always been my favourite. Thank you for all the good food ideas. You make things look easy.
Made mine with tenderloins and ALMOST forgot the garlic! ? Missed the part about adding it to the egg wash, so instead I mixed it into the remaining melted butter and poured it over my chicken. I also put the broiler on low for like 5-10 minutes to crisp the top a bit. Oh man is this yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
Nice catch! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Michelle.
I marinated chicken In buttermilk and seasoning for a couple hours beforehand and used REAL Parmesan! Sooooo delish! So tender and juicy! Love the lemon in it!
Thanks so much for the 5 stars. I’m so glad you loved it, Nicki!
Made this as chicken tenders for a party and everyone LOVED them. Will definitely make again. The only thing I would like is if it could be more crispy. Is there any advice on how to do that while still maintaining the juiciness of the chicken?
Was the chicken sitting in too much liquid while cooking? You could try and bake on a rack on a tray so the bottom is allowed to get crispy too. Hope this helps for next time.
Where is the nutrition information? There’s a line that says nutrition information but then there is no nutrition information. And nothing to click on
Thanks for catching that. I’ve edited the recipe card to show.
I looked at the nutrition info but it says 4 servings with 3023 calories per serving. LOL Doesn’t sound like a more healthy recipe. Maybe compared to a Paula Deen recipe.
Oops, looks like it pulled in other items into the calculation. I’ve edited it to read correctly now. Thanks for letting me know!
My daughter’s & husband loved this dish!!! One of our favorite new chicken recipes!!! It makes even better knowing it’s healthy!!!
Delicious! The chicken stayed so moist and tender the fresh garlic under the bread crumbs(i didnt habe panko so I used regular 4c’s seasoned crumbs) mixed with the fresh parsley and the saltyness of the Parmesan cheese was a perfect mix. Im saving this as a go to chicken recipe. Fast and easy!!
So glad you enjoyed it! It definitely is a great go to recipe.
What size (weight) would each chicken breast be? Thanks!
Because it can vary, I would say most are between 4-6 ounces.
Made this for dinner and it was a hit! Loved all the flavors. Only change I would make is to maybe half the panko coating and egg mixture. I ended up with a lot left over. Or I could just double the chicken 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! We love a thick crust but yes, I think a bit will be left over. 🙂 Thank you for sharing how it turned out!
What a lovely dish!
Mmmmm – I love a good crispy chicken – especially homemade!!!
Yum! I make a similar parmesan and panko crusted chicken, but I love the idea of adding lemon and herbs for that extra bit of freshness! Definitely going to have to try this!
This looks so tasty! My kind of dinner!
This sounds amazing with the addition of lemon! I’ve also been making a big effort to purchase “clean” meat, I haven’t seen Foster Farms in my area though.
Parmesan is one of my favorite flavors. Can I come to your house for dinner?? Your food always looks incredible.
I love the combination of lemon and Parmesan and how you’ve made this dish a bit healthier – yum!
That looks like a yummy chicken dinner!
This looks amazing! Can it be made ahead and frozen? If so how do you prepair it?
Yes, just make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating to serve. Bake it in the oven and you can even place it under the broiler to help crisp it back up. Make sure to watch it so it doesn’t burn.