Chicken Parmesan
This easy Chicken Parmesan recipe is perfect for a classic family dinner! Tender, juicy chicken is lightly breaded, fried, and smothered in cheesy marinara.
Easy Chicken Parmesan
A good Chicken Parmesan recipe is perfect when you want some nice comfort food! Bursting with a flavorful marinara sauce and Italian herbs, this classic chicken dinner is kid-friendly and great for picky eaters. The fried chicken stays beautifully crispy and provides a nice slightly-crunchy texture with a parmesan crust. Top it all off with melty mozzarella cheese, and nobody will be able to resist this easy dinner!
Chicken Parmesan Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts – Skinless, boneless. You’ll want to choose two large breasts similar in size. Slice each one into two thin cutlets, perfect for quick cooking. If you want to replace these with thighs you can, but you may want to skip slicing and pound 4 medium-sized thighs thin instead.
- Flour, Salt, and Garlic Powder – This is the first step of the breading. It will provide a dry surface for the egg wash and a light, general seasoning. You can use gluten-free flour if that works best for you.
- Eggs – Size large. These help the breading stick to the chicken. If you’ve got an egg allergy, replace with heavy cream for the best breading texture.
- Italian Breadcrumbs and Parmesan Cheese – These combine to form a crunchy, flavorful breading on the chicken! You want to use the dried, grated parmesan cheese (the kind that comes in a can in the pantry aisle), not fresh parmesan. The dried kind sticks better and creates a lovely crisp texture. If you want to lower carbs, replace breadcrumbs with pork rind panko.
- Frying oil – You can use your preferred cooking oil (peanut, vegetable, canola, avocado, etc.) to fry the chicken. Choose something with a high smoke point to avoid a smoky kitchen and get the best flavor.
- Marinara Sauce, Shredded Mozzarella, and Chopped Fresh Parsley – You can use homemade or store-bought sauce. Shredded part-skim mozzarella is easiest, but feel free to use fresh mozzarella if you prefer. Basil would make another flavorful garnish if you don’t love parsley.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
This recipe is simple even though it does involve both frying and baking. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to walk you through this classic recipe.
Prep ingredients
Pat chicken dry and slice the breasts in half vertically, as if you were butterflying them (but instead you’re cutting straight through to create four thin cutlets). Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Prepare three shallow, wide bowls or pie plates for breading:
- Flour, salt, and garlic powder
- Beaten eggs (or heavy cream if egg-free)
- Breadcrumbs and parmesan
Bread chicken
First, place a chicken cutlet into the flour mixture, coating to dry. Then dip the cutlet into the beaten eggs and allow the excess to drip away before transferring to the breadcrumb mixture. Gently flip and press the cutlet into the cheesy crumbs, covering the entire piece. Set aside on a plate and continue until all cutlets are breaded.
Fry chicken
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and add oil. Once hot, add two pieces of the breaded chicken. Fry 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Continue with remaining pieces.
Bake
In a large baking dish, spread about half of the marinara sauce. Set the fried chicken in the marinara sauce, then pour over the remaining sauce to cover. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, then bake 15-18 minutes. When cheese is melted and bubbly and the chicken is cooked through, remove and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
What to serve with Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan is often paired with pasta, roasted veggies, or salad. When making this for company, we love to start with Instant Pot Artichokes for an appetizer. For more nutrition, consider a little Caesar Salad beforehand, too! Pair with noodles (maybe zoodles or spaghetti squash if you want more veggies) and Air Fryer Broccoli for an easy, classic chicken dinner.
More great recipes
Chicken Parmesan Side Dishes
How to Store Chicken Parmesan
Once you allow this dish to cool, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge up to 3 days. Naturally the longer the chicken sits in the marinara sauce, the soggier it will get, so I find it’s best in the first 1-2 days.
Can you freeze chicken parmesan?
Yes, chicken parmesan can be frozen and reheated later for long-term meal planning. First, make sure you allow the dish to completely cool. Residual heat will turn into moisture which increases the risk of freezer burn.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months for the best taste and texture. To avoid soggy chicken, it’s best to reheat in the oven straight from the freezer. These oven-safe, freezer-safe containers make it super easy to prep and cook single serving meals any time!
Best ways to reheat chicken parmesan
- Microwave – Quickest but soggy. If you love to preserve a crisp crust on the chicken, this method is not for you. If you just want to heat up your chicken quickly, this will work! Just blast in 1-minute increments on 50% power to prevent the sauce from bursting and causing a mess.
- Oven – Best for large portions, frozen chicken parmesan, or people who love some crispy bits. Place the chicken parmesan in a baking dish and reheat on 350 degrees F for about 5-10 minutes covered, then another 5 minutes uncovered. Timing will ultimately depend on oven, number of servings, and size of baking dish.
If you like this classic chicken recipe, you’ll love these favorite dinners:
- Chicken Cacciatore – This homestyle dish is the perfect comfort food for the countryside, and it’s easily made in just one pan.
- Easy Chicken Alfredo – This kid-friendly recipe is a go-to for families. If you like this but want a healthy twist, try Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Boats!
- Chicken Marsala – Ready in just 30 minutes and comes with an amazingly flavorful marsala sauce you will love on everything!
- Italian Meatballs – These are perfect in pasta, hoagie buns, or even on pizza! Perfect for meal prepping and stocking up the freezer.
- Instant Pot Italian Pork – This is an excellent low-maintenance recipe that will work with tons of different sides. Great for a weekend meal prep project!
Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise into thin cutlets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs or ground pork rinds to lower carbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup oil for frying
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine the flour, salt, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs and set aside. In a third shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Dip the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Transfer the chicken to the eggs, allowing any excess to drip. Finally, dip the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing until completely coated.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the coated chicken (2 pieces at a time) for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Flip, and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
- Spread about half the marinara sauce in a baking dish, then set the fried chicken in the marinara sauce. Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over everything.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly nad chicken is cooked through. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
Notes
Note that I used the dry parmesan cheese, not fresh.
I used a homemade marinara sauce, but you can use storebought as well!
The chicken is so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, this would be so good served with pasta or zoodles!
Store in an airtight container for about 2 days in the fridge, after that the chicken gets a little soggy.
