The Best Chicken Parmesan

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The Best Chicken Parmesan, with a buttery crispy panko coating baked to a perfect melted mozzarella cheese topped crispy chicken entree.

We’re huge fans of the Crispy Baked Lemon Parmesan Chicken and have it in our monthly rotation, but sometimes theres just no substituting the classic Chicken Parmesan recipe, especially when the recipe is as easy as this one!

 The Best EVER Chicken Parmesan

The Best EVER Crispy chicken breasts topped with homemade marinara sauce and melted mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Serve it up with thin spaghetti for the best classic Italian restaurant favorite.

Depending on how fancy of an Italian restaurant you get chicken parmesan from it may be called chicken parmesan or chicken parmigiana. They are the same dish, just read the second one with a super Italian accent.

Why do they call it chicken parmesan? It’s called chicken parmesan as a throwback to eggplant parmesan where slices of eggplant were breaded and fried before being served with slices of parmesan cheese on top. In it’s modern form it is served with melted mozzarella and normally just garnished with parmesan cheese. This recipe calls for parmesan cheese to be added to the breading for even more flavor.

Kid Friendly Chicken Parmesan

One of the first departures my oldest made from chicken nuggets was to this chicken parmesan. I sold it as a chicken nugget pizza (total parent win, bribe your kids into trying something new by pretending its a mashup of two of their favorite foods. In fact we started making this Chicken Parmesan topped with pepperoni after that dinner.

MY OTHER RECIPES

PS this is a thing apparently and you know if Cheesecake Factory is making it for customers I’m going to be all about recreating it for the blog! In fact you can check out all the Cheesecake Factory copycat recipes here (currently 8 of them!).

If you’re looking for a more creative chicken parmesan option there’s also my favorite dark horse recipe: Chicken Parmesan Casserole with a super unexpected crispy topping. I’ve served it to ALL my friends and they all love it and can’t believe the topping.

What can be served with Chicken Parmesan:

You can serve chicken parmesan with spagetti in its classic presentation, steamed vegetables or spiralized zucchini noodles for a lighter option. Chicken parmesan is also regularly served on hoagies as a hot sub sandwich.

What sauce do you use for Chicken Parmesan:

Chicken Parmesan is served with a classic marinara sauce which is added to the top of the chicken cutlet and baked with shredded cheese on top. You can also serve chicken parmesan cutlets over other pasta recipes like this Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta or Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio.

Why don’t you add more sauce to the chicken? The sauce is meant for flavor but not to drown the chicken out. It also makes a spot on the chicken where the breading softens. The remaining part of the chicken not covered in sauce is able to remain crispy.

Tools used in the making of this Chicken Parmesan:
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the chicken without damaging the breading and its super easy. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping, it is amazing.

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Yield: 4 servings

The Best Chicken Parmesan

Prep:10 minutes

Cook:30 minutes

Total Time:40 minutes

The Best Chicken Parmesan, with a buttery crispy panko coating baked to a perfect melted mozzarella cheese topped crispy chicken entree.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap or parchment paper.
3. Using a rolling pin or flat kitchen mallet flatten it to 1/2 inch thickness.
4. Season with Kosher salt and black pepper.
5. In three shallow bowls add the flour to one, eggs to one (and beat until combined) and the panko and Parmesan cheese to the other (and mix).
6. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg and finally press it into the panko mixture.
7. Add the olive oil and butter to a cast iron skillet on medium high heat.
8. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown (it’ll be raw inside still).
9. Add the chicken to a baking sheet, add the marinara sauce on top and finally top with the shredded cheeses.
10. Cook for 18-20 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 1 chicken breast

• Amount Per Serving:
• Calories: 477 Calories

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