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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!
Prefer quicker and crispier chicken parmesan? Try our air fryer version!
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.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – 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 with a meat mallet 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. If you like a peppery flavor, I recommend adding some cracked black pepper after cooking so it doesn’t burn in the oil.
- 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 bread crumbs with pork rind panko. Gluten free breadcrumbs will also work fine if needed for a gluten free diet.
- 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 low moisture mozzarella is easiest, but feel free to use fresh mozzarella if you prefer. Provolone cheese is a great substitute if you don’t have mozzarella.
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 dredging in the 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 or place on a wire rack, letting the excess drip off. 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 basil or 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. You can pair with noodles (maybe zoodles or spaghetti squash if you want more veggies). Some other great side dish options are:
- Italian Baked Mushrooms
- Air Fryer Parmesan Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Hasselback Potatoes
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, placing the fried chicken in a single layer, 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 Pot Pie – Talk about wholesome and classic! You will love the creamy filling full of juicy chicken and tender veggies.
- BBQ Chicken Tacos– This healthy dump-and-go crockpot recipe is made even better with a quick 5-minute coleslaw!
- Air Fryer Chicken and Mushrooms– Enjoy a simple, low-carb meal in less than 20 minutes with this easy meal!
- Chicken Poppy Seed Cassesrole – This traditional comfort food recipe will warm you from the inside out.
- Cheesy Pesto Chicken Sliders – This works as the perfect appetizer, lunch, or family dinner!
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, Gluten free breadcrumbs will also work if on a GF diet
- 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
- Basil would make another great garnish! *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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
