This chicken parmesan recipe is an elegant weeknight favorite. Tender chicken breasts are lightly fried until crispy, then baked in a rich marinara topped with two kinds of golden, melty cheese.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: This dish is full of seasoned crispy chicken, tangy marinara sauce, and rich, melty cheese.
- Skill Level: This recipe is perfect for new cooks, using simple ingredients and straightforward steps.
- Recommended Tools: Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken and a meat thermometer to tell if it is cooked through (it should read 165°F in the thickest part).
- Serving Suggestions: Serve it over a pile of buttered noodles, seasoned rice, zoodles, or your favorite pasta.
Easy Ingredient Tips
- Chicken: Pick equally sized chicken breasts, or pound them to an even thickness so they cook evenly and stay juicy. To keep your meat mallet clean, place a plastic wrap on top of your chicken before pounding. If your chicken breast is large, you can also slice it in half horizontally.
- Seasoned Crust: Panko and breadcrumbs are the perfect combo for a crispy crust with lots of flavor. Use stale bread to make your own breadcrumbs.
- Marinara: Buy or DIY your own marinara (save the extra for pizza and lasagna). Add freshly minced garlic or a dash of red pepper flakes to zest up jarred or homemade marinara.
- Cheese: Don’t skimp on the mozzarella and parmesan if you want that cheesy Italian bistro flavor. For maximum melt, shred the cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that don’t melt as nicely.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
- Prep and brown the chicken (full recipe below).
- Place the chicken on top of the marinara, spoon on a little more sauce, and top with cheese.
- Bake, then garnish with fresh basil and serve over pasta.
Savor the Flavors
- Storing: Keep leftover chicken parmesan with the sauce in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Warm portions in the air fryer, or reheat and sprinkle on extra Parmesan, then broil until the top gets crispy again.
- Freezing: Cooled portions can be frozen in zippered bags for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Leftover Lunch Idea: Try it cold as a sammie on a ciabatta bun or wrapped in a tortilla with crisp lettuce for a hearty lunch!
More Crispy Chicken Recipes
Did your family love this Chicken Parmesan recipe? Leave us a rating and comment below.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 5oz each
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
- 24 ounces marinara sauce homemade or jarred
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil for garnish
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the flour in a shallow dish. Place the eggs in a second shallow dish and beat with a fork.
- In a third shallow dish, combine Panko breadcrumbs, seasoned breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Using the flat side of 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 both sides of the chicken into the flour and shake to remove any excess. Dip chicken in beaten eggs, then into the breadcrumb 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 basil and parsley and serve over pasta.
Video
Notes
- Chicken breasts can vary from 5 oz to 10 oz. If using larger breasts, you may only need 2, and they can be cut in half horizontally to make 4 thinner chicken breasts. Chicken cutlets can be used in place of chicken breasts.
- Ensure the oil is shimmering before adding the chicken for a better crisp.
- Don’t add too much sauce to the baking pan; you can heat extra sauce on the side if desired.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 647 | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 2318mg | Potassium: 1098mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1429IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 394mg | Iron: 5mg
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.
Hey holly. With all your infinite wisdom what temp should I be baking my chicken
I bake this dish at 425°F until the chicken reaches 165°F.
Great recipe with easy instructions. This was the 1st time I made this and my husband said, “It tastes like the one at Olive Garden.” I was totally flattered. Definitely will PIN this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you both loved it!
This recipe has the best chicken parm crust. My whole family which included 1 picky 4 year old loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Yay, that is so awesome Carrie!
Recipe worked out great! Whole family devoured and cheese had that perfect bubbly crust
That is great to hear Melissa!
I’m looking for chicken breast recipes. And I want the chicken to be tender and not taste like rubber
I hope you love this recipe Myra!
I used a spicy marinara. Came out excellent. I enjoyed this recipe
That sounds delicious Mo! Glad you enjoyed it.
I made this last night and everyone was raving about it! It was really good! I did not even have Panko, instead I used regular and I really covered it with cheese! Chicken was tender and delicious so from now on I will use this recipe.
That is so awesome Lidija! So happy to hear everyone loved it.
Easy, tasty recipe. Only downside is you will get a lot of dishes messy. It’s far from a one-pot meal! But I had never made chicken parm before so was really happy to have such great results on my first try using this recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it Caroline!
Have you ever tried to make this with veal? I’m wondering if I could just follow the recipe exactly but swap veal for chicken?
Hi Julie, we have not tried it with veal yet Julie! Let us know how it tastes.
I was so excited to find this easy to make recipe for Chicken Parm. but I made it and was kind of disappointed in the lack of flavor. My intention is not to pick the recipe apart and make snarky critisizms. But after mulling it over and trying again with some modifications, I think I have some helpful suggestions. While the ingredients are spot-on, some of the methods did not work for me.
The chicken itself had no flavor. All of the seasonings are on the outside since the salt and pepper added to the bread crumbs. The chicken should be salted and peppered before any dredging in the flour. Not only does it add flavor to the meat directly, it eliminates wasting of seasoning if there are bread crumbs leftover. Instead of using both italian bread crumbs AND plain panko, I left out the panko and used only italian bread crumbs. (Some markets do have italian seasoned panko available, which would optimal). I also reduced the amount of mozzarella since it doesn’t have much flavor and replaced it with more fresh grated parmesan. If you can get your hands on smoked mozzarella, use that. This was baked with a nice, tangy marinara and was much more satisfying.
Thank you for posting your recipe. It was a great jumping off point to get me started on a great Chicken Parmesan.
Thank you for the suggestions Amanda! They all sounds delicious.
Tastes absolutely wonderful! Made it for a dinner party and everyone was in love. I did make homemade marinara though with tomatoes/butter/onion/garlic/salt/pepper so I definitely think that added to the great taste to the rest of the ingredients opposed to using jarred marinara. Thank you! It was quite a hit!
Mmmm! That sounds delicious Elizabeth. Glad to hear they all loved it.
The most amazing thing I have ever cooked. It made me feel like a pro despite the fact that I only just started!
So so happy to hear that Hozifa! Have fun cooking like a pro :)
First time on this site. Thanks.
Thanks Robin! Hope you fin lots of great recipes to try!
i can’t wait to try the chicken parm.it sound’s to good as well as look’s good.i’ve looking for new way’s to cook chicken as it is a mainstay in my diet.it will be a couple week’s but i will make .thank you.dan root
I hope you love it Dan!
First time using this website and the recipe was very well described and easy to follow!!
Thanks Jo! Happy to hear you enjoyed it.
This recipe is excellent, thank you so much! I have it saved for all future chicken parmesan cravings. The crust is crispy, and everything is seasoned just right. I made my own marinara sauce too which really set it apart. Thanks again.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Marie!
It turned out perfectly. I made it exactly as described. Thank you!
That’s great Chelsea! So happy to hear that.
So easy, fast, and delicious! I made substitutions with ingredients I had on hand, but it worked out wonderfully!! Thanks
Glad to hear that Jackie! So happy it worked out for you!
This was delicious! Even though it required a lot of dishes, it was totally worth it and surprisingly easy! Thanks for providing me with a new go-to chicken parm recipe!
We agree, totally worth it Shannon! Glad you love it!
I made this for dinner tonight and did a gluten free version. I changed out the bread crumbs for our gf bread, which I double toasted and broke into the crumbs. I used a 1 to 1 gf flour as well. The kids and husband loved it! Thanks for an awesome and easy recipe to follow!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Traci!