Easy Chicken Parmesan

by Sabrina SnyderPublished: March 25, 2019 83 Comments
5 from 19 votes

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The Best Chicken Parmesan is a classic Italian favorite, breaded and baked with an easy marinara sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese in just 30 minutes!

Classic Italian Recipes are an easy weeknight option in our household and we 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!).

Chicken Parmesan on spatula
 EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN RECIPE

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. We set up a standard breading state with shallow dishes and we 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 then 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 it’s 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.

KID FRIENDLY CHICKEN PARMESAN

One of the first departures my oldest made from chicken nuggets was to this chicken parm. 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 recipe

topped with pepperoni after that dinner and I even started making the marinara with the kids as a fun project we could do together.

If you’re looking for a more outside the box chicken parm option there’s also my favorite dark horse recipe: Noodle free Chicken Parmesan Casserole with a super unexpected crispy topping you can serve up with fettuccine or my personal favorite, tortellini. I’ve served it to ALL my friends and they all love it and can’t believe the topping.

Or you can make a super fun cheeseburger take on Chicken Parm and make my Chicken Parmesan Sloppy Joes! They’re so easy and delicious to make you’ll make them all the time.

Chicken Parmesan in bowl

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 us 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 my 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.

Chicken Parmesan on cookie sheet.

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Chicken Parmesan on spatula
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Ultimate Chicken Parmesan

5 from 19 votes
  • Yield: 4 Servings
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Course: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Author: Sabrina Snyder

The Best Chicken Parmesan is a classic Italian favorite, breaded and baked with an easy marinara sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese in just 30 minutes! 

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
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

  1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

  2. 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 1/2 inch thickness then season them with salt and pepper.

  3. 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).
  4. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg and finally press it into the panko mixture.

  5. 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).

  6. 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.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4 Servings, Amount per serving: 477 calories, Serving Size: 1 , Calories: 477g

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Keyword: chicken parmesan
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About the Author

Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

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Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Chicken Recipes Italian Food Main Course Recipe

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Comments

  4. If you do the meal prep do you skip the skillet and put it straight in the oven? If so, will it be just as good? I would like to make for a dinner party of 12 but don’t want to sit over the stove For several minutes. I don’t necessarily have to freeze it but wanted to do most of the steps before my guests come.

    Reply

  6. I only have shredded Parmesan and sliced Provolone in the fridge. How would it be without the mozzarella? I’d really like to try this today.

    Reply

  8. Tried this recipe last night after work, it didn’t take too long and we have spare sauce for next time. This is a lovely meal, very tasty and will definitely go in the recipe folder. Served it with med veg, delicious, thank you.

    Reply

  12. Outstanding recipe! Frying the chicken in both olive oil and butter is key. Also..baking on a cookie sheet pan rather than in a casserole dish makes for nice, crispy edged chicken instead of being soggy. Thank you once again for a winning recipe, Sabrina!

    Reply

  14. Good Evening,
    I made this recipes tonight and I couldn’t wait for the pasta to cook! I changed it up just a tad at the end. I did a double layer of marinara, cheese, then marinara and cheese… Yummy!
    Can’t wait for my friend to try it out when he gets here !

    Reply

  16. This was our first Sabrina recipe and it is a family favorite. I fry the chicken a slight bit longer (our gas stove top is a bit finicky) otherwise I follow along with your recipe. One flattened chicken breast served on spaghetti with marinara sauce is a generous portion for two of us. So good!

    Reply

  20. Made this for dinner tonight and it was soooo good! I mixed mozzarella and Parmesan on the top while baking and just used store bought sauce I had on hand. The chicken was amazing and the recipe was so easy to follow. Husband approved and there’s enough for me to take for lunch tomorrow! Yay!!

    Reply

  22. Your recipes make me look like a rockstar in the kitchen! Lord have mercy this chicken parm was absolutely delicious!! So easy to follow the directions and didn’t take too long to make. I accidentally used Italian Panko breadcrumbs which I didn’t know existed, and it was superb!! Thank you for your wonderful recipes and for all the work you put into sharing them!!

    Reply

    1. You’ll want to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You’ll want pieces that are thicker, maybe 3/4 inch thick.

      Reply

  34. Sabrina, I made the marinara adding extra minced garlic and basil; it was perfect. I’m looking forward to making chicken parmesan. Thank you for your website; I absolutely enjoy all the recipes!

    Reply

  42. This looks delicious! I’m making it tonight…would i be able to prepare it all except for the baking step and just keep it in the fridge until time to bake it or would it mess it up to put it in the fridge after cooking it in the cast iron?

    Reply

  46. This is the first time I can really say I was surprised at how AMAZING this tasted. Usually the recipes are just ok and good. This was to die for! Even my husband, who seems to find fault with everything, loved it and didn’t complain. Yummmmmmm.

    Reply

  48. Hi Sabrina-I would like to try your recipe tomorrow night for about 6-7 people. I see this recipe serves 4. Would you recommend I just double the ingredients? Please get back to me when you can. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. There is a slider tool on each recipe card for you to increase or decrease the serving size and it will adjust your ingredients to match. Just hover over the serving size and it’ll show up. Hope this helps!

      Reply

    1. I prefer a cast iron skillet because it gets a nicer crust on the chicken but it’s not necessary. You can use any fying pan you have on hand.

      Reply

  54. I made this recipe and it was so good. I used Italian bread crumbs and put some grated parmesan cheese in it. I didn’t see the Panko crumbs until after I made the meal. I seasoned my spaghetti sauce and used it for the marinara. I pretty much kept your recipe the same. Everyone loved it so much. I’m making it this weekend for 9 people and I’m excited. Thank you for the recipe

    Reply

  60. Made the recipe but made a few changes. I added Italian bread crumbs to the panko. And for the marinara I added some red wine, sugar and salt. Came out very well two thumbs up

    Reply

  66. no offense, but nothing even closely similar to this recipe exists in Italy.
    it will be tasty, no doubt, but no one single restourant (or mom) would prepare a dish like the one in the photo.
    100% american stuff. don’t confuse.
    greetings

    Reply

    2. Lorenzo – I don’t think it was meant to be a 100% authentic Italian dish – and who cares! It’s delicious!!! Please don’t be a snob.

      Reply

  70. We made this for our Valentine’s Day dinner tonight. My fella told me it was as good as the Chicken Parmigiana we order at our favorite Café Amore! Thanks Sabrina!

    Reply

  80. I will be making this Thursday since I already have planned my valentine dinner.  Thank you so much for this amazing delicious looking dish

    Reply