Our family loves this super easy chicken parmesan recipe that delivers perfectly crispy and tender chicken with melty cheese and nestled on a bed of rich, flavorful marinara sauce. This recipe is a keeper!
We can thank Italian-American immigrants in the early 20th century for chicken parmesan (also called chicken parmigiana). Since then, it’s become a beloved favorite across the nation, and for good reason. Crispy breaded chicken, delicious tomato sauce, and gooey melted cheese, what’s not to love?
My chicken parmesan recipe is super simple, with just a handful of ingredients. Use my homemade marinara or make it even easier, and use store-bought sauce. I love it alongside a fresh salad, over a bed of spaghetti, with zucchini noodles, or tucked into a warm, crusty sandwich roll. If you love chicken parm, I bet you’ll love eggplant parmesan. Here’s our eggplant parmesan recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: I prefer chicken breasts for my chicken parmesan, but feel free to use chicken thighs if you want something more tender. Both are delicious! For the most tender chicken, I quickly pound them to an even thickness before using them in our recipe below. Watch our video to see me do it.
- Breading: My perfect breading is flavorful, light, and crunchy. You’ll need salt, pepper, flour, eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese to make it.
- Tomato sauce: I like to use a light tomato sauce for my chicken parmesan. You can use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce or make your own. My homemade marinara sauce or my favorite red pasta sauce recipe (both work great here!) would be perfect.
- Basil: Before baking the chicken, I tuck a few fresh basil leaves underneath the cheese. The flavor is amazing!
- Cheese: Parmesan cheese is a must-have (of course!), but I also like to add a slice of provolone on top of my crispy breaded chicken. Mozzarella is a great alternative if you don’t have provolone.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
To make the best chicken parmesan, we’re going to bread and pan-fry the chicken first. It’s a simple step that makes a world of difference! I like to set up a breading station with three shallow dishes (cake pans work perfectly for this). In the first dish, I mix flour with salt and pepper. In the second dish, I whisk together egg and milk, and in the third dish, I combine breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
Lightly coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, then dip it into the egg mixture, and finally, coat it in the breadcrumb mixture. Then, pan-fry the chicken until it’s light brown and crispy.
Now that we’ve worked hard to get that crispy breading let’s make sure it stays that way. Instead of covering the chicken with sauce (which can make it soggy), we’ll place it on top of a bed of sauce so the top stays nice and crispy.
Top each piece of chicken with a little bit of sauce, some fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and a slice of provolone. Then, bake it in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. If you want a lighter dish with some of the same flavors, try our basil baked chicken with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan
I love serving chicken parmesan with pasta or spaghetti. For a lower-carb option, try zucchini noodles. Salad is always lovely. I especially love salad greens tossed with my favorite balsamic vinaigrette, which works nicely with the flavors in this dish.
Instead of salad, try adding roasted veggies to the side. I love our roasted broccolini, roasted cabbage, and this garlic roasted asparagus. My son loves a side of garlic bread. Try our roasted garlic bread or this cheesy garlic bread.
Easy Chicken Parmesan
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
I love this easy chicken parmesan recipe! The secret is breading and pan-frying the chicken, then only adding sauce to the bottom of your baking dish so that the top stays crisp and doesn’t turn into a soggy mess. I love my homemade marinara sauce, but to make this easier, use store-bought. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 regular jars or one large (32oz) jar.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
4 chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
1 cup (130g) all purpose flour
1 cup (210g) panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs
3/4 cup (2oz or 56g) shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup avocado oil or vegetable oil, plus more as needed
4 cups marinara sauce, warmed
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
4 slices provolone cheese
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Prepare Chicken
1Set aside a baking sheet and some paper towels.
2Place a chicken breast on a cutting board and cover it with wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Gently pound the chicken to an even ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
3Lightly season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper.
4Gather three shallow dishes (pie plates or cake pans work well). In the first dish, combine flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In the second dish, whisk together the eggs and milk until frothy. In the third dish, mix breadcrumbs, half of the parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and another 1/4 teaspoon salt.
5Dip each chicken breast in the seasoned flour, then into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Finally, coat the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Place the breaded chicken onto the baking sheet.
6Choose a skillet large enough to comfortably hold all four chicken breasts (or cook in batches if needed).
7Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy.
8Place a layer of paper towels on the baking sheet. Transfer the cooked chicken to the paper towels to drain excess oil.
- To Finish
1Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C).
2Spread a layer of marinara sauce to coat the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
3Arrange the crispy pan-fried chicken breasts on top of the sauce.
4Top each chicken breast with a generous tablespoon of sauce and a few basil leaves. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese evenly over the chicken, and finish by placing a slice of provolone cheese on top of each breast.
5Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F. Serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 6 servings.
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I found that I needed 2 9×13 pans to make this. Not sure if my breasts were especially large, I used Walmart brand boneless/skinless. I ended up needing 2 pans, and used excess sauce from filling the pan to put on top of the chicken
I made this recipe with ricotta and fresh mozzarella slices in the place of the provolone cheese. Seriously delicious, and the proportions are so perfect!
Can you bread chicken ahead and refrigerate and brown and bake next day?
Hi Kathy, I am worried this will make the breading mushy and make it difficult for you to crisp up on the second day. You could prepare all your breading bowls and refrigerate to get a ump on the prep, though.
Thanks for the short version steps for the chicken breast Parmesan. Was helpful in real time and now I will prepare this tonight. We appreciate you guys.
I’ve been making this recipe for over a year now and my family ALWAYS love it. I recommend anyone to make this at least once in their life!
This looks so delicious and yummy. And thanks for providing the in depth details for the recipe, which helped me very much.
Looking for easy dinners.
So easy and so delicious! And company worthy too! Definitely a keeper!
It was delicious. My whole family loved it.
I’d like to know if the browning of the chicken could be done in advance. I want to serve it at a dinner party and would prefer to have less work while my guests are there.
Hi Suzi, You can bread and pan-fry the chicken in advance. The breading might get a little soggy, but it should crisp back up when baked in the oven.
Love this recipe. We used panko instead of breadcrumbs and it turned out great. Can’t wait to make this for company.
Anybody have any suggestions on cooking this for 60 people ? Like keeping it warm without over cooking or drying out ?
Use a cookie sheet to bake it on so you could make on about 3-4 sheet pans!