Cheesy, easy, and comforting, this chicken parmesan recipe is a restaurant favorite made easy at home.
Tender breaded chicken breasts are covered in marinara and baked with cheese until golden and bubbly!
An Easy Chicken Parmesan
Chicken parmesan, also known as chicken parmigiana, is an Italian favorite. This dish originated from Italian immigrants in the US in the ’50s and is thought to be a twist on eggplant parmesan.
- It’ll look like you spent hours in the kitchen, but this parmesan chicken recipe is easy to make with common ingredients.
- While it is traditionally deep-fried or often pan-fried in melted butter, this baked chicken parmesan is an easier version without all of the oil.
- The chicken comes out tender and juicy, and tastes as good as a restaurant at a fraction of the price.
Ingredients for Chicken Parmesan
Chicken – For this chicken parmesan recipe, you’ll need boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken cutlets. If using chicken breasts, pound them to ½-inch thick so they cook evenly.
Breading – I use two types of crumbs in this breadcrumb mixture; Panko adds crunch, while the finer breadcrumbs give a more even crust. Use pre-seasoned breadcrumbs, or add some Italian seasoning and salt to your own fine breadcrumbs.
Cheese – Parmesan cheese adds flavor while the melted mozzarella cheese gives this chicken parm recipe its delicious cheesy topping.
Tomato Sauce – Any marinara or pasta sauce will work, I choose a high quality sauce as the sauce adds a lot of flavor to this dish.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
Here is a basic overview, you can find the full chicken parmesan recipe below.
- Bread the chicken: Bread the chicken breasts and lightly brown them in a pan (per the recipe below).
- Add marinara sauce: Place them into a casserole dish with marinara sauce and top with cheese.
- Top with cheese & bake: Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
Once it comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with fresh basil and parsley and serve it over pasta like spaghetti.
Leftovers
- Leftover chicken parmesan is delish as a chicken parmesan sandwich.
- Keep leftover chicken parmesan in a covered container for up to 4 days and reheat portions in the microwave or air fryer with some fresh Parmesan cheese.
- To freeze prepared chicken parmesan, cool completely. Once cool, seal in freezer-safe food storage containers or quart-sized freezer bags. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The chicken will not be as crispy once frozen, but it is still delicious.
More Baked Chicken Recipes
Did your family love this Easy Chicken Parmesan recipe? Leave us a rating & a comment below!
Easy Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast halves skinless boneless
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup Italian seasoning bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
- 24 ounces marinara sauce homemade or jarred
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon basil fresh, chopped, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon parsley fresh, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or dish. Place the eggs in a second shallow dish and beat with a fork.
- In a third shallow dish, combine Panko, Italian seasoned crumbs, grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts to ½-inch thickness. After pounding, if they're very large, you can cut them in half. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Dip chicken into the flour and shake to remove any excess. Dip chicken in beaten eggs, then into the bread crumb mixture and gently press to adhere.
- Preheat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Brown the chicken for about 2 minutes per side or until golden. It does not need to cook through.
- In the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, add 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce. Add the browned chicken. Top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce in the center. Top with mozzarella and shredded parmesan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and bubbly and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F with an instant-read thermometer.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve over pasta.
Video
Notes
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook evenly. Chicken cutlets can be used in place of chicken breasts.
- Dab the chicken dry with a paper towel, this will help the coating stick.
- Gently press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken to ensure they adhere.
- Preheat the oil in the pan before adding the chicken for a crispier crumb.
- Don’t add too much sauce to the baking pan, you can heat extra sauce on the side if desired.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Hi Holly,
I would like to make this CHICKEN PARM. as my 2nd entree for Christmas dinner for 15 guests,
I would like to make the chicken breasts ahead of time and then freeze them and then just put in a baking dish & add the sauce & cheese and serve? Will they turn ok??
Hi Sue, readers have said the chicken is not as crispy once defrosted but you can freeze this dish. I would bake the whole dish, cool, and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight and bake at 375°F until heated through.
I wish you would have included in the directions to cover the casserole dish while baking. my sauce and tops of the chicken burned while baking. next time I will cover dish with foil.
We bake this uncovered or the dish will steam and the crumbs will get soggy. If you do bake it covered, you might need to decrease the cooking time slightly.
Fantastic recipe! Very easy! I used an 8×8 pan as I only used 2 chicken breasts. Will definitely make this again!
Is the homemade spaghetti sauce a viable substitute for marinara?
Hi Kiwon, we have not tried making this recipe with spaghetti sauce as a substitute for marinara, but I think it should work. Keep in mind it might be a different texture and/or consistency but I think it would still be delicious!
Made this a my husband absolute love this . Thank you for sharing. Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much for this recipe which received 5 stars from my picky husband. In a time crunch, I made a couple of changes. Instead of baking in the oven, I used the same pan on the stove top. The breasts were hammered thin (1/2″), browned by your directions, removed from the pan and marinara sauce put in bottom of pan and over chicken after I returned it. Next, the cheeses, parsley and basil were placed on top of the breasts – lidded and heated thru on a low heat until done. It turned out perfectly. I served chicken and sauce over noodles. He’s still saying, ‘YUM’!
That does sound delicious, Kathy! So happy to hear it was such a hit for you ❤️
will try this recipe. I want to know if chicken cutlets are browned in a pan prior to baking.
They look precooked in the recipe pictures prior to putting in the oven.
I think you have great recipes
Thanks
Yes, they’re browned. You can find this information in the recipe.
good! my husband bought 2 jars of Barilla sauce a d I doctored it up and followed your recipe.
IT WAS REALLY GOOD!
I thought that these were delicious. to make it even easier I bought some chicken breasts that were sliced thin so I didn’t have to pound them.
My family absolutely loved this recipe. Their new favorite!
that is AWESOME!!! Best chicken parmesan I ever had!!!
Very easy simple delicious recipe. Only thing I’d comment about differently is the amount of bread crumbs called for. You can probably cut it in half and still have some extra.
I loved this recipe so much that I keep texting the link to all my friends! Used a jar of “homemade” quality marinara as a shortcut and served it with a side of sautéed spinach to keep the carbs down. I am looking forward to the leftovers for lunch today.
Fantastic
Delicious!! I will be doing this again & again. Do not change anything in the recipe
Thanks for the recipe. It sounds marvellous but simple to make. Would I need to midify this recipe if I wanted to can it? Any suggestions on timing for the canner? I am using 250ml jars (lids & rings). Thank You.
I have not tried canning this so I can’t say for sure. Maybe another reader can offer some insights.
Hi! can I make this in a skillet instead of baking it?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Iraj!
I love chicken parmesan! I just stocked my freezer with boneless breast as they were on sale for $1.79… can’t beat that! Homemade marinara makes a big difference if you have the time and/or inclination. I skip the bread as the pasta has more than enough carbs… make a good side salad with a tomato juice-based salad dressing (“Zero-Fat” Herb Dressing “Eating Well” cookbook).
Another AMAZING recipe!! I split my breast in half (butterfly) and cooked as suggested. Husband loves it.
Hubby doesn’t eat chicken so I substituted breaded veal cutlets instead. But followed the recipe exactly. This was perfect…… rave reviews!!! This will go on the dinner rotation, at his request! Thank you
You’re very welcome Sandi! Thank you for sharing.