Chicken parmigiana. Bring the classic favorite to your dinner table with this easy, delicious recipe. Nothing beats the flavorful combination of red tomato based sauce, crispy chicken and ooey gooey cheese. Just boil some pasta or prep a salad when the cheese is melting and it’s ready to serve.
Almost everyone want to create restaurant-worthy dishes at home. But is it possible with minimal effort? Well, actually it is, if you have the right recipe. If you want to make delicious meals for your loved ones, even on a busy weeknight, quick and easy recipes should be on top of your menu. And, yes, they should be big on flavor too. So, without further ado, let’s talk about one of the most popular and amazingly delicious recipe that you’ll love.
Call it chicken parmigiana, chicken parmesan or parmy, this dish with layers of vibrant red sauce, crispy crumbed chicken and ooey gooey melted cheese is to die for. Best served with a side of salad or on top of spaghetti, I am obsessed with this classic dish. It even tastes amazing in burgers and sandwiches. Beyond delicious!
How To Make Chicken Parmigiana
Let’s divide the recipe into three parts - red tomato sauce or marinara sauce, crumbed chicken and melted cheese. These are the three different layers of the classic version of this dish. When I say classic, I mean a delicious marriage of Italian and American food. Read on to learn more about this Italian-American favorite.
First, the vibrant tomato sauce or marinara sauce. Don’t get it confused with seafood marinara. In this recipe, marinara sauce means tomato based sauce. Whenever I have time, I make the sauce from scratch. And I have an amazing recipe on the blog. Don’t forget to check it out. But, on busy days, I like to go with the cheat version, in other words, store bought marinara or tomato pasta sauce or parmigiana sauce.
The crumbed chicken is obviously the highlight of this recipe. The lovely contrast of smooth sauce and crispy chicken is just so amazing. To make this, cut the chicken breast horizontally into two equal halves. That way, you will get thin chicken breast slices that’ll cook perfectly. Again, it the slices are thick, use a meat mallet or rolling pin to make them thin and perfect for making this chicken parmigiana.
We’re going to use panko breadcrumbs to make this chicken as crispy as possible. And I like to add another depth of flavor with the help of dried oregano and garlic powder. Now, you’ll need to coat the chicken breasts in flour, egg and then breadcrumbs. The crumbed chicken goes straight into hot oil. Cook until they are super crispy, browned and cooked through perfectly. You can bake the chicken if you like, but I highly recommend frying them for that irresistibly crunchy texture.
Coming to the third and final part of the recipe- assembling and baking. You’ll need a deep baking dish so you can arrange the chicken in a single layer. Add a layer of tomato sauce, arrange crumbed chicken on top, cover with more tomato sauce and cheese. With cheese, the classic recipe of chicken parmigiana calls for two different types of cheese - parmesan and mozzarella.
Once the cheese is melted, top with a generous sprinkle of chopped parsley. And dig in!
More Chicken Recipes:
Chicken Parmigiana | Video
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon lemon rind
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg
- ½ cup all purpose flour plain flour
- 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 cups homemade or store bought red tomato sauce marinara sauce
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated mozzarella
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley to garnish
- Salad or pasta to serve
Instructions
- Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Add oregano, lemon rind and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Crack egg into another bowl. Whisk. Set aside.
- Place flour in another bowl. Set aside.
- Using a sharp knife, cut chicken horizontally into two equal halves. If the chicken pieces are too thick, use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them.
- Working with one slice of chicken breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, dip in egg, and coat in panko breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs gently onto the chicken. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Cook chicken in batches if needed. Drain on a paper towel. Set aside.
- Prepare tomato sauce or marinara sauce following the recipe instructions. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F.
- Add half of marinara sauce to the base of a 9x13” baking pan. Arrange chicken in a single layer. Top with remaining sauce, parmesan and mozzarella. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve with salad or pasta.
Video
Notes
- You can bake crumbed chicken if you like - Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer, spray with cooking oil and bake for 40 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear.
- Marinara sauce in this recipe is tomato pasta sauce. Don’t get it confused with seafood marinara.
- If the horizontally sliced chicken breasts are too thick, pound it with meat mallet or rolling pin
- Regular breadcrumbs will work in place of panko breadcrumbs.
- Chicken parmigiana tastes amazing in burgers and sandwiches
- To keep the crispy chicken from getting soggy, assemble and bake chicken just before serving
- You can refrigerate this for 2-3 days, just reheat in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
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