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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Perfect Chicken Parmesan

    Published: May 2, 2020 · Updated: December 5, 2020 · By: Krissy · 63 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    recipe for perfect chicken parmesan
    I made the most Perfect Chicken Parmesan that's full of flavor, only takes minutes to cook up for a quick and easy dinner, and is the best comfort food!

    Perfect Chicken Parmesan is full of flavor, takes minutes to cook, and is my favorite chicken dinner recipe!

    Boneless skinless chicken breasts are tenderized, lightly breaded, and cooked to crispy perfection. Once they are smothered in your favorite marinara sauce and melted cheese, the most delicious dinner is ready for your consumption!

    homemade chicken parmesan with pasta on plate with basil

    Why this recipe works:

    Any recipe that coats chicken in a wonderful crispy outside like my chicken tenders or buttermilk fried chicken is a winner in my book. And the fact that this is such an easy recipe will have you making it on a weekly basis.

    Because the chicken breasts are tenderized before cooking, no knife is required. This recipe is made extra easy by using bottled pasta sauce and you can even use pre-shredded cheese.

    Chicken parm is possibly my favorite dinner... especially when served with homemade pasta! If you're wanting a vegetarian version, you can't go wrong with eggplant parmesan! Also, if you enjoy this recipe, you'll want to make my Chicken Cacciatore.

    Here's how to make it:

    1. First step is to tenderize the chicken (more information on why that is important below) and season with salt and pepper (photo 1).
    2. The crumb coating I use when making this easy chicken parmesan is a 2:1 mixture of bread crumbs to parmesan cheese plus some herbs. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then coat with egg, then coat with the bread crumb mixture (photo 2).
    3. Brown the chicken on both sides in olive oil (photo 3).
    4. To finish off your chicken parm, all you need to do is top those crispy seasoned chicken breasts with a healthy portion of amazing tomato pasta sauce (photo 4) and then top that with some slices of fresh mozzarella (photo 5) along with some grated parmesan. Finish the whole thing off in the oven to get the cheese all nice and melted (photo 6).

    step by step process photos of how to make Chicken Parmesan

    Why tenderizing is important:

    You want your chicken breasts to be thin for several reasons:

    1. First, when you pound the meat with a mallet or roll it with a rolling pin, you break up the tissue and it makes it more tender. So much so that you can easily cut it with the side of your fork. I prefer to pound my meat over rolling it because its fun.
    2. Second, you want your chicken to be of uniform thickness so that it cooks evenly.
    3. And third, the thinner the meat, the faster it cooks. During school and sports season, we all need meals that can be cooked quickly.

    Cooking tips:

    • I always choose to put my crumb mixture in a rectangular dish that's the exact size of the chicken breast. It makes coating the chicken easy.
    • If you're wondering how do you keep chicken parmesan crispy, you must cook the coated breasts in very hot oil in a single layer. This will give them a crispy golden outside and won't leave them soggy.
    • I served my parmesan chicken up with some basil pasta that I tossed in some of the reserved pasta sauce.

    top down photo of chicken parmesan with pasta

    Step-by-step recipe video below!

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!

    I made the most Perfect Chicken Parmesan that's full of flavor, only takes minutes to cook up for a quick and easy dinner, and is the best comfort food!

    Perfect Chicken Parmesan Recipe

    Perfect Chicken Parmesan is the best chicken parmesan recipe you'll find. Full of flavor, takes minutes to cook, and is my favorite chicken dinner recipe!
    4.69 from 70 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

    CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Hover to scale: 4 servings
    Chef: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts (skinless)
    • salt & pepper
    • ½ cup all purpose flour
    • 1 egg (beaten)
    • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
    • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ¼ cup olive oil*
    • 1 25 ounce jar pasta sauce
    • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella (sliced)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
    • Using a large plastic bag or plastic wrap, cover chicken and flatten to half inch thickness using a meat pounder or a rolling pin.
    • Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chicken.
    • Add flour to bowl. Add beaten egg to another bowl. Combine bread crumbs with ½ cup parmesan (reserving the other half for later) along with the basil and oregano in a dish large enough for the chicken breasts.
    • Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium high heat.
    • Dredge chicken in flour, then coat with egg, then cover with bread crumb mixture. Press coating onto chicken to get as much as possible to stick. When the oil is very hot, just below the point where it begins to smoke, add your coated chicken. Continue with the remaining chicken breasts.
    • Cook each breast until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and transfer to baking dish.
    • Cover each breast with Mezzetta Napa Valley Homemade pasta sauce as well as a couple slices of mozzarella and the remaining parmesan cheese. You may reserve some of the sauce to serve with pasta on the side, if desired.
    • Cook in preheated oven until cheese has melted, about 5-10 minutes.

    Notes

    • I used a combination of olive oil with avocado oil because it tolerates high temperatures better
    • I always choose to put my crumb mixture in a rectangular dish that's the exact size of the chicken breast. It makes coating the chicken oh-so-easy. The crumb coating I use when making this easy chicken parmesan is a 2:1 mixture of bread crumbs to parmesan cheese plus some herbs like fresh basil. 
    • If you're wondering how do you keep chicken parmesan crispy, you must cook the coated breasts in very hot oil in a single layer. This will give them a crispy golden outside and won't leave them soggy. 

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 714kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 1672mg | Potassium: 955mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1410IU | Vitamin C: 12.4mg | Calcium: 508mg | Iron: 5.1mg
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    This post was originally created in September 2015 and has been updated with additional photos, cooking tips, and helpful information. Don't worry - I didn't change the recipe!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debbie

      July 15, 2021 at 5:08 am

      Can this be made ahead of time and placed in refrigerator until baking?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        July 21, 2021 at 6:56 am

        Yes! If it's cold when you put it in the oven, you'll likely need to extend the cooking time. Keep the cheese nice and melty by covering with foil.

        Reply
    2. Lisa Rish

      December 31, 2020 at 5:11 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing recipe!!! I have made it several times & always turns out perfect!

      Reply
    3. Sharon

      December 25, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      I made this for Christmas dinner! Oh my gosh it was so delicious! My daughter and my husband could not get enough of it! So tender u donteven need a knife!
      Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Carolyne Campbell

      December 08, 2020 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much! Even my picky grans ate this! Followed the recipe to the letter. They said it was soooooo goooood!
      This is the first time I've commented because of them. All of your recipes I've tried have been so delicious! My favorite is the salmon patties. The chicken parm was a hit though because they ate the leftovers and still enjoyed it! Thank you for all do!

      Reply
    5. Catherine Dickey

      September 21, 2020 at 12:48 pm

      5 stars
      Going to try for sure

      Reply
    6. Tammy

      September 06, 2020 at 1:31 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for the first time a few weeks ago and it was the best! I have tried other recipes before but this one knocked it outbid the park !! My husband is requesting it again so we plan to make again tonight !!

      Reply
    7. Janice Myers

      August 24, 2020 at 1:27 pm

      5 stars
      Love love love.
      That's Italian!

      Reply
      • Vanessa

        January 06, 2021 at 7:59 am

        Hey was wondering is one serving 714 calories ?

        Reply
        • Krissy

          January 07, 2021 at 7:27 am

          Yep, that's what my nutrition calculator figured. Lots of cheese.

          Reply
    8. Bonnie Hermance

      August 05, 2020 at 7:04 am

      5 stars
      This was Delicious My whole family loves it thanks for sharing 😊

      Reply
    9. Fran Slatton

      October 27, 2019 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      This was so wonderful! I went by directions & even used the recommended sauce. My family LOVED it! I did need to cook my chicken about 10 min longer in the oven, but I probably should have pounded then a little thinner to cook in the recommended time. It was no biggie though...still so tender and moist. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    10. Russell

      September 07, 2019 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      I tired this tonight and it was absolutely amazing! I cooked the chicken in the oil for about 2.5 to 3 minutes on each side, and it was completely cooked perfectly. We could have eaten it straight out of the skillet. But added sauce and cheese and cooked it in the oven for 10 minutes, and it was awesome! Thank you for posting this recipe!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        September 11, 2019 at 10:57 am

        So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the great comment! Krissy

        Reply
    11. mobasir hassan

      September 04, 2019 at 7:54 am

      Love the way you made the recipe and use of the sauce. Simple and easy always do the best and it is with your recipe, Yummy.

      Reply
    12. Shelby Traone

      July 10, 2019 at 7:43 am

      cannot wait to try this recipe hopefully tonight!!!

      Reply
    13. Abeer Rizvi

      September 11, 2018 at 12:47 pm

      5 stars
      This is one of my favorite weeknight meals! Yum!

      Reply
    14. Sabrina

      September 10, 2018 at 7:53 pm

      5 stars
      This is always a family favorite! Such a easy way to get a delicious meal on the table on a busy weeknight!

      Reply
    15. Heather Seeley

      September 10, 2018 at 3:18 pm

      5 stars
      I need to put this on the menu this week! Looks sooo good!! Can't wait to make!

      Reply
    16. Julie

      September 10, 2018 at 12:59 pm

      5 stars
      You're right, this was SO perfect!

      Reply
    17. April

      September 07, 2018 at 11:39 am

      5 stars
      I love quick delicious recipes and this one certainly fits the bill! SO MUCH YUM!

      Reply
    18. Jennifer Fishkind

      September 07, 2018 at 11:39 am

      5 stars
      PERFECT for a quick and easy meal!

      Reply
    19. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

      September 05, 2018 at 11:25 am

      5 stars
      I always crave chicken parm and cannot wait to try this recipe! Looks so good!

      Reply
    20. Lisa Huff

      September 05, 2018 at 11:10 am

      5 stars
      Whoah this does look PERFECT! Chicken Parm is a favorite in our house!

      Reply
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