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.
I want to start by saying I love chicken parm and for years have looked online for a recipe and each time it just never does it for me… but this recipe right here? Wow. Even my very picky only hamburger and chicken nugget eating kids loved it and chanted “I want more, I want more. This will now be in my rotation of meals. I have no desire to cook and your website has really helped me diversify my cooking thank you
This was absolutely delicious and I would make it again!
Only suggestion is that the chicken breasts don’t need to cook that long in the pan because they will definitely cook through in the oven. I would go more to 2-3 minutes per side, and really just until the outside is crunchy and browned.
This recipe was super easy and was delicious! I was looking for a quick and easy recipe and this perfectly fit the bill! I airfried the chicken and it was perfect!
Should you cover the chicken parm with foil when you bake it or not?
This is baked uncovered.
Ok thanks got it!
I mostly baked it covered, then uncovered for the last few minutes. I prefer this as then the edges don’t get all dried out.
Hi! I’m reading the recipe and seeing that it says to use flour, but in the details and the video and it’s not showing to use flour. Is that an unnecessary step?
Hi LaRae, in step 2 it says, “Place flour in shallow dish.” Then in step 5, “Dip chicken into flour and shake to remove any excess.” After that, you dip chicken in the eggs, then the bread crumb mixture. This helps the coating stick to the chicken. Hope that helps!
amazing dish! it definitely took a bit longer than the suggested prep time, but it’s okay because it was worth it. Next time I’ll add a can of no salt added tomato sauce for more sauce overall, just my personal preference. I also felt like there were a ton of leftover bread crumbs not used in the breading, so i’ll cut back on those. Overall, this was a 5/5 and the family loved it.
Hi – found this recipe late this afternoon and fixed tonight. It was wonderful ! I know it would have been great as written, but I added a few things: sliced fresh mushrooms, some garlic powder, onion powder, fresh, minced basil, and over the mushrooms and under the sauce, I peeled out 1/2 a cheese stick for eash breast for even more cheesey goodness. Yummy.
when you make the b reading, do you use fresh grated parmesan or the powdered parmesan in the jar?
Both should work well but we use the grated (powdered) kind in the breading mixture.
Outstanding!! My neighbor makes the best marinara sauce I’ve ever tasted, and he gave me a container last night. My sweetheart does not like Italian (What? Right!) so I scaled the ingredients down for one chicken breast serving. This was HANDS DOWN the most delicious Chicken Parm I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
I am glad you were still able to enjoy this delicious recipe, Annie! They are really missing out
The most outstanding chicken parm recipe ever. Everything spot on. I highly recommend it. Go Holly BooYaa❗️❗️❗️
Thank you Rich! So happy to hear that!
Made recently for my family and it was delicious. Thinking of making tonight for a family with a child with an egg allergy…any ideas for omitting the eggs?
Hi Casey, I haven’t tried this for this recipe, but often butter or olive oil can be used in place of the egg when breading chicken.
This was easy and excellent tasting! I was excited to try it , but realized I didn’t have Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. I improvised and used additional panko crumbs that I added Italian seasoning to. It still tasted amazing! My husband came home from a business dinner and had to have a helping under the pretense of doing “quality control” hahaha
I love your recipes Holly- keep’em coming!
That is too funny, Amanda! Quality control is usually my excuse for sampling ingredients along the way lol
I love every recipe I have made. Always turn out good and very easy to follow directions. Going to to try the chicken parmesan tonight.
Very easy and quick chicken parm. Tasted great!
Can you use rice flour?
I’ve never tried it with rice flour. Maybe another reader can help!
Holly,
You are amazing! Can’t wait to try your recipes. The pictures jump right off the page. The prep time and cooking time, just right!
Saw your amazing recipes on FB. So happy to stop by FB tonight to meet you and your wonderful dishes!
Thank you!
Ann Oppenheim
Thank you, Ann! So happy to hear you are enjoying our recipes.
Amazing. Made it once just the way it says and it’s amazing!! We just make breadcrumbs on the spot by grinding up some bread and add some Italian seasoning. It’s so good we are making it again tonight! Simple and delicious
I cooked this up for supper tonight with spaghetti, and sautéed carrots and broccoli. Best chicken parmesan we ever ate! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Mmm, that sounds delicious Val! Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely amazing! My wife loves this dish but rarely gets it because it’s either too dry, watery marinara, etc. I made this…my first time making it and she absolutely loved it! Won’t bother ever ordering out. Thanks so much for an amazing recipe!! -Matt
I’m so glad both you and your wife loved it Matt!
Served this over baked spaghetti squash! It was such a delicious dinner. My husband couldn’t believe how well the breading coated and stayed on the chicken. And that with gluten-free breadcrumbs too! SWP Employee