Chicken Parmesan is a classic Italian favorite, breaded and baked with an easy marinara sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella in just 30 minutes!
Classic Italian Recipes are an easy weeknight option and you’ll love Ultimate Meat Lasagna made with Easy Marinara Sauce, Easy Carbonara Pasta and these Amazing Stuffed Shells (they’re so quick you have to try them!).
EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN
The Best EVER Crispy breaded chicken breasts topped with homemade marinara and melted mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Serve it up with pasta, Garlic Bread and a Copycat Olive Garden Salad 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 (Parmigiana)?
It’s called chicken parmesan (or Baked Chicken Parmesan) as a throwback to eggplant parmesan where slices of eggplant were coated in bread crumbs and fried before being served with slices of parmesan cheese on top.
The most important part of the dish is the coating process. For this recipe, you’ll set up a standard breading station with shallow dishes and mix the bread crumbs with grated parmesan cheese so you get extra parm flavor in the breading too.
Can you meal prep this Chicken Parmesan recipe?
This is a great recipe that will taste like your favorite restaurant, but you can even meal prep it making it all the way through the breading process then freezing the chicken breasts and baking them off at a later date.
Make sure to allow for extra baking time because the chicken will be frozen, and preheat the oven to 25 degrees lower to allow for the breading to cook without burning.
In its modern form it is a popular Italian-American dish 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.
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KID FRIENDLY CHICKEN PARMESAN
One of the first departures kids can make from chicken nuggets is to this chicken parm. You can sell 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 you can make this Chicken Parmesan recipe topped with pepperoni or even start making the marinara with the kids as a fun project to do together.
If you’re looking for a more outside the box chicken parm option there’s also this favorite dark horse recipe: Noodle free Chicken Parmesan Casserole with a super unexpected crispy topping you can serve up with fettuccine or tortellini. Your guests will all love it and won’t believe the topping!
Or you can make a super fun cheeseburger take on Chicken Parm and make Chicken Parmesan Sloppy Joes! They’re so easy and delicious to make you’ll make them all the time.
BAKED CHICKEN PARMESAN VS STOVETOP CHICKEN PARMESAN
This recipe is cooked partially in the skillet before being cooked the rest of the way in the oven to help the breadcrumbs get crispy and browned while the chicken cutlets stay moist.
You can of course finish cooking the chicken through in the skillet then top with the sauce and cheese, cover with a lid and allow the cheese to melt quickly and serve immediately, but the time in the oven allows you time to cook pasta and it also gives the sauce a bit of time to dry out in the oven so it isn’t so soggy.
WHAT CAN BE SERVED WITH CHICKEN PARMESAN:
You can serve chicken parmesan with spaghetti 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.
Fresh parsley, fresh basil and freshly shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese are some go-to topping options.
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 it 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.
MORE CLASSIC ITALIAN RECIPES
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 extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap or parchment paper and using a rolling pin or flat kitchen mallet flatten it to ½ inch thickness then season them with salt and pepper.
- 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).
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg and finally press it into the panko mixture.
- Add the olive oil and butter to a cast iron skillet on medium high heat and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown (it'll be raw inside still).
- Add the chicken to a baking sheet, add the marinara sauce on top and finally top with the shredded mozzarella and cook for 18-20 minutes.
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Very good!
Would making this a day ahead of a dinner party and just reheating cause it to dry out? Is there a way to do it that is optimal?
Thanks so much.
I made this tonight for dinner. Yum! Thank you for posting such a great recipe.
I had never flattened a chicken breast before and I now learned I hate doing it. Just wanted to share that this works just fine to cut the breast in half hamburger style. Very delicious, though I skipped the mozzarella and ate it with ravioli and marinara
Delicious and so easy to make. Had leftovers and we decided they might even been better!
This is SO good! We love it and it’s a staple in our house now
My new go to!
This was the first time I made chicken parm and it will not be the last! Easy, moist and delicious!
I did have a little trouble with the crispiness of the crust (not under the marinara…that I also made to accompany this recipe). Not sure what happened there, but I will figure it out.
I did brine my chicken for added flavor, though:
* 2lbs chicken breast, 1/4 c Kosher salt + 1 tsp dissolved in 1 qt warm water. Put all in a shallow baking dish (covered) for 30 minutes. Rinse and prepare chicken for cooking.
Thank you, Sabrina!
Thank you so much, Jennifer. this is amazing, so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
We had Italian night on Sunday with our family and guests and I wanted to share the experience. I made your Chicken Parmesan, a side of spaghetti with your easy marinara , and your stuffed shell pasta. I received such rave reviews that I will make this a tradition using your delicious recipes. My husband commented that he didn’t even need a knife to cut the chicken cutlets….just his fork. And the marinara is fabulous and so quick and easy to prepare. I have never been disappointed in the many recipes that you have shared and I have tried. A sincere thank you for making Italian night a success.
Jennie, this is the sweetest review. Thank you for your endless support and I hope my other recipes are a hit for you as well. So glad your family enjoyed it, and Italian nights! sounds like I need to do this with my family.
Best chicken parm recipe ever! It was easy to make, yet tasted as good or better than the local Italian restaurant. I also made the homemade marinara…also amazing! I tripled the marinara sauce and froze the extra for another time. Such a great recipe to whip up over the weekend and have some left over sauce to repurpose for another meal. Thank you!
You are absolutely welcome! I love when everything turns out amazing and there are extras for easy cooking later. Thank you so much!
The whole family loves this recipe. Thank you for adding the calories but would you happen to know the ounces or pounds of chicken you used to calculate it?
The recipe ingredients get plugged into an automatic calculator on the site so it doesn’t state the ounces. Mine were around 6 ounces each. You can always weigh your own and get an exact caloric count using your own online calculator. Hope this helps.
Parmesan and melted cheese on top will be the best combination! My kids will definitely love this! Thank you for sharing!
How can this be made to a freezer recipe?
I think it’s best served the day of but you can turn this into a freezer meal by making the chicken ahead of time (without the sauce and cheese) and then freeze in freezer bags. Once ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in the oven topped with sauce and cheese. Enjoy!
Made this tonight and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
One of my partner’s favourite dishes, so I knew it would be judged well. Needless to say, it has been made several times over the quarantine this year. It’s absolutely delicious, and better still, INCREDIBLY EASY to make. It’s a go-to must!
So easy and so delicious! Love this idea for a quick way to get chicken Parm on the table!
Thanks for the review Molly! Happy Holidays!
I made this today four our dinner and it was super! I can‘t find Marinara sauce so I substitute it with Bolognese sauce instead and still super delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
– Love from Germany
You’re welcome!
So good! I made this tonight and my husband said it was better than the local Italian restaurant that we frequent. That is high praise coming from him. This is the ultimate chicken parmesan recipe AND it was easy! 😉 Thank you!
I made this, it was easy and everybody loved it.
But I am confused, is this Easy or Ultimate Chicken Parmesan? You call it both names.
And if I may express an editorial commment, your page is so overly monetized it is difficult to read and navigate. Also, you have included way too much supurfluous information which compounds the first problem mentioned.
Out of this world & easy! Used seasoned bread crumbs & only added the marinara & cheese in the last 8 minutes of cooking. My new go-to for chix parm!
Yay!! Thanks for taking the time to come back to let me know, Lorraine.