This CRISPY PARMESAN CHICKEN features breaded, fried chicken breasts that are coated in marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese, resulting in a tender and delicious meal. You can easily make this parmesan-crusted chicken for a busy weeknight or to impress a special guest. It’s simple and delicious.
Crispy Parmesan Chicken
If you’re looking for a delicious dinner option, consider trying this Chicken Parmesan (also known as Chicken Parmigiana). This American-Italian dish features breaded chicken that is cooked until tender, then covered with marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella and parmesan, and cheese. It’s paired with a simple lemon butter pasta that complements the chicken really well.
The recipe involves several steps – breading, frying, adding sauce and cheese, and baking – but each one is important to achieve the best possible outcome. Once it’s done, you’ll enjoy a crispy, restaurant-quality meal. Give it a try and see for yourself!
Ingredients:
Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Boneless thighs work just as well.
breadcrumbs – I like to use a mix of panko breadcrumbs for crunch and Italian breadcrumbs for added flavor.
Cheese: Parmesan – I love to grate parmesan into the breadcrumbs, it really adds so much flavor and is delicious! Mozzarella – You can use either shredded or sliced mozzarella for this chicken parm.
Fresh herbs – I like to use a mix of fresh parsley and basil, fresh herbs really add a ton of flavor that you won’t get from dried so they are really worth using.
Marinara sauce – Use your favorite tomato sauce or pasta sauce, I like to use Rao’s or you can make my homemade tomato sauce recipe which is perfect for this.
Olive oil – this is used for frying the chicken to get the breadcrumb coating nice and crispy, you can also use Avocado oil or vegetable oil.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN
First, prepare the chicken: Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and using a meat mallet or rolling pin pound them into thin cutlets.
Then, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper and set aside. 
Next, let’s prepare the breading setup:
- In a bowl, combine flour with a teaspoon of salt and ½ tsp pepper then whisk together.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together well with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- In a third bowl combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, and some parmesan.
Now that all is ready let’s begin the process of Breading:
- Coat each chicken breast in the flour and remove any excess by tapping it off.
- Next, dip the chicken into the beaten egg and allow any excess to drip off before proceeding.
- Dredge both sides of the chicken in bread crumbs and firmly press down to ensure the crumbs stick and form a smooth layer.
Pan-fry the breaded chicken
In a large sauté pan, pour the olive oil and heat it over high heat until it shimmers. Add 2-3 chicken breasts at a time and cook them until they turn golden brown on both sides, which usually takes around 4 minutes per side.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Transfer the fried chicken to a baking sheet and top each breast with ½ cup marinara sauce, a generous amount of mozzarella cheese, and a tablespoon of Parmesan.
Cook the chicken in the oven until it’s fully cooked and the cheese has melted and turned golden. This usually takes around 15-20 minutes. Afterward, take it out of the oven and add some basil and parsley leaves for garnish. Serve the chicken over spaghetti or fettuccine pasta.
CRISPY PARMESAN CHICKEN RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Boneless thighs work just as well.)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup olive oil for frying
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded or thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 24 oz Marinara sauce
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley
- Fresh basil and parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- First, prepare the chicken: Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and using a meat mallet or rolling pin pound them into thin cutlets.
- Then, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper and set aside.
Next, let’s prepare the breading setup:
- In a bowl, combine flour with a teaspoon of salt and ½ tsp pepper then whisk together.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together well with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- In a third bowl combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, and some parmesan.
Now that all is ready let’s begin the process of Breading:
- Coat each chicken breast in the flour and remove any excess by tapping it off.
- Next, dip the chicken into the beaten egg and allow any excess to drip off before proceeding.
- Dredge both sides of the chicken in bread crumbs and firmly press down to ensure the crumbs stick and form a smooth layer.
Pan-fry the breaded chicken
- In a large sauté pan, pour the olive oil and heat it over high heat until it shimmers. Add 2-3 chicken breasts at a time and cook them until they turn golden brown on both sides, which usually takes around 4 minutes per side.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Transfer the fried chicken to a baking sheet and top each breast with ½ cup marinara sauce, a generous amount of mozzarella cheese, and a tablespoon of Parmesan.
- Cook the chicken in the oven until it’s fully cooked and the cheese has melted and turned golden. This usually takes around 15-20 minutes.
- Afterward, take it out of the oven and add some basil and parsley leaves for garnish. Serve the chicken over spaghetti or fettuccine pasta.
Notes
Nutrition
More Chicken Recipes:
SHEET PAN CHICKEN FAJITAS RECIPE
Sheet Pan Chicken Drumsticks And Vegetables
Crispy Cilantro Lime Roasted Chicken
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Tell me what you think of this recipe, and if you have any questions, don’t forget to get in touch with me. I’m always happy to hear from YOU.
Until the next one…
