If you’re looking for the best chicken parmesan recipe, look no further. One taste of this tender, moist chicken breast with a deliciously crispy coating, topped with a rich homemade tomato sauce and ooey-gooey melted mozzarella cheese, oven-baked to perfection.
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Chicken Parmesan (also called Chicken Parmigiana) was one of the most popular dishes in my restaurant days. Sadly, restaurant chicken parmesan is often too dry or lacks sufficient sauce, cheese, or flavor.
But I’m going to teach you the secret to making the best chicken parmesan you’ve ever had. Just imagine tender, juicy chicken breasts, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese for the perfect chicken parm!
If you love parmesan-style deliciousness, my Eggplant Parmesan and Veal Parmesan are other delicious choices. My delicious Chicken Francaise recipe is a winner too!
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Chicken Parmesan. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Simple Ingredients
- chicken breast
- mozzarella cheese
- spaghetti sauce
- parsley
- all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper
- seasoned bread crumbs
- eggs
- water or milk
- vegetable oil
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
When I teach someone how to make chicken parmesan, the key is flattening the skinless breasts. This also tenderizes them.
A meat mallet is the best tool for this task. This makes for the perfect bite. It’s not too thick, making it easy to eat, and each bite is packed with flavor.
The chicken breasts should weigh between 4-5 ounces each.
Flattening the Chicken Breast
Cover the skinless, boneless chicken breasts with plastic wrap before pounding them. It keeps bits of chicken from flying around the room, making the process easier.
If you don’t have a meat hammer, a regular hammer (wrapped in plastic) will do. Use the flat side of the hammer, not the part you drive nails in with. Be careful not to tear up the chicken breast.
While pounding the chicken breast, don’t strike straight down. You want to push the meat towards the outer edges while you pound. We want the breast intact; this is the best way to gain size without breaking the breast apart.
Do I have to pound the chicken breasts?
The short answer is no. But trust me, the difference between a pounded chicken breast and a not-pounded breast is night and day. I promise your chicken parmesan will be much better if you take the time to pound the breasts.
Pounding the breast will make it more tender. It will also spread out, giving you more space to cover it with sauce and cheese. And that means more flavor.
Once the chicken breasts have been prepared, it’s time to head to the breading station.
How to bread the chicken cutlets
Set up three shallow bowls (or other containers). Make sure they are large enough to fit the flattened chicken breast. Use these bowls for the breading process.
- flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
- egg wash (eggs whipped with milk or water)
- Italian seasoned bread crumbs (or your choice of bread crumbs)
Start by dipping each piece of chicken into the seasoned flour. Then into the egg wash, and finally into the seasoned bread crumbs.
**Make sure to get a good coating on the chicken breast at each step of the process.
Once all the chicken breasts have been breaded, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
Breading food is not my favorite task, so when I bread chicken or eggplant, I make a large batch. After cooking, I freeze them on a sheet pan, and when they’re fully frozen, I store them in ziplock bags. That makes dinner a lot easier on nights I’m too tired to cook.
How to Fry the Chicken Cutlets
Heat a large saute pan on high heat and add about half an inch of vegetable oil. Carefully place the breaded chicken cutlets into the oil using tongs. Add as many as you can into your pan without crowding them.
Cook chicken breasts until golden brown. Using tongs, turn them over and saute the other side until golden brown (2-3 minutes per side). I usually use corn oil to pan-fry the chicken, but olive oil is also a suitable alternative.
Drain the fried chicken cutlets on racks over a sheet pan (or baking sheets). Allowing fried food to drain removes much of the fat associated with frying.
Most of the fat will not penetrate the food. It will stay on the outer layer. This is only possible if the oil is hot enough.
The secret to making perfect Chicken Parmesan is using enough tomato sauce. Sauce under and sauce on top is key to making chicken parmesan your whole family will love. Use my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe for the best chicken parmesan.
While you may not want to smother the chicken cutlet with mozzarella cheese (okay, maybe you do), don’t scrimp on the cheese! Although it’s called chicken parmesan, parmesan cheese is not the star of the dish. I recommend serving chicken parm with grated Parmesan cheese or grated Romano cheese.
For a restaurant-style look, sprinkle finely chopped parsley on top of the cheese before placing the chicken parmesan in the oven to finish cooking.
When the cheese is melted, it’s time to enjoy your chicken parm.
What else can I make with a chicken cutlet?
Try a few of my favorite toppings:
- Swap out shredded mozzarella with fresh mozzarella.
- bacon, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese
- sauteed broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, and provolone cheese
- sauteed broccoli and cheese sauce
- mushrooms, sauteed spinach, and melted bleu cheese crumbles
See how easy it is to create deliciousness? Have fun with the toppings and create your own signature chicken dish; it doesn’t always have to be about Chicken Parmesan.
After one bite, I know you’ll agree this is the best chicken parmesan you’ve ever tasted. The sauce adds flavor, and the cheese adds that ooey-gooey deliciousness that turns a chicken cutlet into an amazing culinary creation.
Recipe FAQs
In order to get a crisp (not soggy) chicken cutlet, the oil must be hot enough. In the restaurant, we cook at 350 degrees in the fryer. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, heat the oil until it’s shimmering but not smoking. It should be hot enough so that a piece of breading dropped into the oil will sizzle.
Technically, it is not. Chicken parm is not found in Italy. Italian Americans created it as an imitation of Parmigiana di Melanzane, which is made with eggplant.
Traditionally, chicken parm is served with pasta. But other options are veggie noodles, Caesar salad, mashed or roasted potatoes, rice, or garlic bread.
No, there isn’t, unless you want to add it to the breadcrumbs. Chicken Parmesan is an Italian-American dish that evolved from the classic Italian dish, eggplant alla parmigiana.
While the name “parmigiana” might imply Parmesan cheese, the original eggplant dish was made only with mozzarella.
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Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 oz chicken breast four 6 ounce boneless skinless breasts, lightly pounded
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 12 oz spaghetti sauce your favorite brand or see my recipe
- 2 teaspoon parsley finely chopped
- 1 cup flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
- 2 cups bread crumbs Italian seasoned or your choice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 oz water or milk (mixed with egg to make egg wash)
- vegetable oil for frying chicken cutlets
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Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board lined with plastic wrap. Cover the chicken with another sheet of plastic wrap and using a meat hammer lightly pound the chicken breasts (see notes).
- Set up a breading station with flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, egg wash and Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
- Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour. Then place in the egg wash and finally in the bread crumbs. Make sure you get a good coating of each ingredient on the chicken breasts, completely coating them.
- Heat a large saute pan on high heat and add about a half an inch of vegetable oil. Carefully place the breaded chicken cutlets into the oil using tongs. Add as many as you can into your pan without crowding them. Let them saute until they get a nice golden brown color. Using tongs turn them over and saute the other side until golden brown.
- Drain the fried chicken cutlets on baking racks over sheet pans (or baking sheets).
- Place the fried chicken cutlets in a baking dish. Top each cutlet with about ⅓ cup of spaghetti sauce, covering the chicken cutlet.
- Add two ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the marinara sauce.
- Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top of the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted.*make sure the fried chicken cutlet has reached a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately with your favorite pasta.
Video
Notes
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Place the breaded chicken in a single layer in your air fryer. Depending on the number of chicken cutlets you are cooking, you may need to cook them in batches.
- Cook the breaded chicken for six minutes, then turn the pieces over. Top the chicken cutlets with tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
- Let the chicken Parmesan cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F.
While the name “parmigiana” might imply Parmesan cheese, the original eggplant dish was made only with mozzarella. How do you keep chicken parm from getting soggy? In order to get a crisp (not soggy) chicken cutlet, the oil must be hot enough. In the restaurant, we cook at 350 degrees in the fryer. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, heat the oil until it’s shimmering but not smoking. It should be hot enough so that a piece of breading dropped into the oil will sizzle. Is chicken parmesan an Italian dish? Technically, it is not. Chicken parm is not found in Italy. It was created by Italian Americans as an imitation of Parmigiana di Melanzane, which is made with eggplant. What should I serve with Chicken Parm? Traditionally, chicken parm is served with pasta. But other options are veggie noodles, Caesar salad, mashed or roasted potatoes, rice, or garlic bread. What else can I make with a chicken cutlet? Try a few of my favorite toppings:
- swap out shredded mozzarella with fresh mozzarella.
- bacon, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese
- sauteed broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, and provolone cheese
- sauteed broccoli and cheese sauce
- mushrooms, sauteed spinach, and melted bleu cheese crumbles
Parker says
Why isn’t there any parmesan in the recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You could add it to the bread crumbs, but Chicken Parmesan is an Italian-American dish that evolved from the classic Italian dish, eggplant alla parmigiana.
While the name “parmigiana” might imply Parmesan cheese, the original eggplant dish was made only with mozzarella
Robin says
if I was to make a large batch, would I freeze after frying or after the bake?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I freeze mine after frying. Either let them freeze solid before bagging, or place parchment paper between each cutlet, to keep them from sticking together.
D oskins says
How’s it chicken park without the parmasean?
Chef Dennis Littley says
Parmesan refers to the style of preparation, not the cheese.
Alicia says
I have made this recipe several times now and it is amazing. So easy & delicious. Thank you so much for sharing it. I get rave reviews each time I serve it to family & friends. I use Roa’s marinara sauce & fresh mozzarella… turns out perfect every time.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thats what I like to hear! Thanks for letting me know you’ve been enjoying my chicken parm recipe.
Nancy K Stephenson says
We LOVE this dish! If I wanted to prep and fry just a few hours ahead of time to save time in the evening, would I just set aside in then fridge after frying then bake a bit before adding the marinara and cheese and baking to heat through?
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s it. Fry it, refrigerate it and then put in a 350 degree oven for 10-15. Add the hot sauce and cheese and bake until the cheese is melted.
I usually make a big batch and freeze the cutlets for nights I don’t feel like cooking.
SD says
Tried this for date night, it surely didn’t disappoint!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my chicken parm recipe. It is perfect for a date night.
Tammy says
Best one I’ve ever made! Thank you for sharing!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome and thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my chicken parm recipe