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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Can you, or anyone recommend the best store bought marinara? Thank you
I love Rao’s, but actually I usually buy whatever is on sale Amy
Recipes look very tempting, BUT so many ads that I can’t see the actual recipe !
Hi Lee, you can use the jump to recipe button at the top of the page to head straight to the recipe! Hope that helps.
You’re my go to for any recipe. They never fail. Thank you
Ps. I’m saying this before I make the chicken parmigiana. I know it’ll come out wonderful
Thank you so much for Jenny, I hope you love this one just as much! It’s a favorite for us.
This was so easy and absolutely delish!!
Hi, Holly! I LOVE your recipies. This dish is my son’s favorite, and he asks for it often. When I search for something new to cook, I always look for you. Keep ’em coming, girl!!
That makes us so happy to hear Nancy! Your son has great taste, this is one of our favs too!
I have made this two times now and my husband and I love it. I make extra because it is awesome as leftovers too. First time we served over spaghetti and second with a side of steamed broccoli. KEEPER!!
I am making this again tonight for the third time. Funny how I keep ending up back at this website every time I’m looking for a delicious, yet simple recipe. Keep up the great work!
Looks delicious
The chicken parm looks delicious! Thanks.
I made this tonight-it was delicious! My whole family loves it!
Do you have the calories? Thanks!
The nutrition information is immediately under the recipe Kaili.
I love chicken parm and this recipe is excellent. It is not overly time intensive like others yet still gets all the important components of chicken parm just right. Thanks for sharing!
You/re very welcome April! So happy to hear it was such a hit!
This was amazing !!!! it was my first time making chicken parm ever and my boyfriend said it tasted like it just came from a fancy italian restaurant !!! only thing i didn’t use flour when coating with breadcrumb mixture … just dipped in egg and dipped in the breadcrumb and fried in pan. i would give 10 stars !!!!!
have not tried recipes just joining
Welcome Cheryl! To receive emails with new recipes, you can click here to sign up to receive emails. Look forward to sending you recipes!
Excellent recipe, easy to follow. Delicious meal.
What an easy and delicious recipe! Thank you Holly. After 46 years of marriage, I’m not exactly inspired to make dinner every night. My husband is saying “yum” after every single bite! So glad I found this recipe as I enjoyed making it and eating it! Now I’m going to check out everything else on your site!
That makes us so happy Debbi! Thank you for sharing :) Glad you enjoyed every bite of this recipe!
Holly, I simply can’t go wrong with your recipes. I made this for my husband on Valentines Day and he couldn’t get enough.
Thank you for sharing that Carrie! So happy to hear that he loved this chicken Parm!!
I don’t usually follow recipes that look complex and so I opted for this one. I am a man, 69 years old and cook a lot of boxed or pre-packaged stuff for my partner and his son. This recipe came out beautifully…and tasted great. The guys were very happy. This was the very first time that I ever made Chicken Parm, and yes, I will definitely make it again.
Well that just made my day David! So happy to hear that you all love this chicken parm recipe!
I was looking for a chicken parm recipe and I’m glad I landed on this one. I did season the flour and egg because that’s a personal preference. Also used homemade pasta sauce in case anyone is wondering if that works. Delicious.
Nice and easy recipe. Came out perfectly and tasted delicious!