Learn how to make my family’s chicken parmesan recipe! This Italian-American classic consists of breaded chicken that is typically pan-fried and then baked with rich tomato sauce, Italian cheese, and herbs. My family has enjoyed this recipe for many years, and it is undoubtedly the best I’ve ever had. Whether you like the chicken pan-fried like the traditional version or baked to use less oil, this recipe has a method for both. From my family to yours!
My family has been making this chicken parmesan for as long as I can remember. It was my favorite growing up, and I often asked for it to be made on my birthday when my mom made us a special dinner. I learned to make this dish alongside my mom at a young age, so it brings me great joy to share such a beloved family recipe with you all!
A few things that make this recipe special are tenderizing the meat before assembling the dish, using homemade breadcrumbs for a crisper breading, and using a quality marinara for rich flavor. We love to use our homemade San Marzano tomato sauce – another recipe of my mom’s that is so loved.
Although the roots of chicken parmesan (also known as chicken parmigiana) point back to Italy, it’s actually an Italian-American dish. Whether it’s authentic Italian or not, it will always be one of my family’s favorites!
One reader, Steve, made this: “Excellent – hate to say it, but better than my favorite Italian restaurant…“ ★★★★★
Ingredients
Use the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
Chicken breasts – use boneless skinless chicken breasts, then slice each breast in half length-wise to create two cutlets. Or you can use pre-cut breasts, also known as chicken cutlets.
Flour – use all-purpose flour or white whole wheat for dredging the chicken in. This is used to brown the chicken.
Eggs – an egg mixture is used to help the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken after coating it in flour.
Breadcrumbs – for the breading mixture – you can use store-bought panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs.
Marinara – use a quality store-bought marinara sauce or make a homemade sauce! See below for my top recommendations.
Olive oil – oil is used in the pan-fried method to brown the chicken in batches. If you instead bake the chicken, you’ll only need a little oil.
Parmigiano Reggiano – I like to use freshly grated and finely grated Parmigano Reggiano for the best flavor and breading texture. It will add a rich, salty flavor and a beautiful, cheesy crust. It is also used to sprinkle over the chicken parm when it bakes!
Fresh mozzarella cheese – used for layering over the chicken for baking. You can use shredded or sliced pieces of mozzarella.
Dried Italian herbs – I like to season my own breadcrumbs using a dried Italian herb blend.
Garlic powder – used for flavoring the breadcrumb mixture.
Black pepper & salt – for flavor.
Fresh basil – for sprinkling over top of the finished chicken parmesan!
How to Make Chicken Parmesan – Step by Step (Baked and Pan-Fried Method)
First, prepare the chicken and ingredients!
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1
Tenderize the chicken. Place chicken cutlets/breasts in a large ziplock bag, or between two sheets of parchment paper. Firmly pound with a rolling pin or smooth side of a meat mallet – chicken thickness should be 1/2 inch.) After, pat the chicken cutlets dry with a paper towel.
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2
Set up an assembly line. Line three shallow bowls together with the breadcrumb mixture, flour, and egg mixture.
Next, bread the chicken!
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Dredge in flour – First, dip the chicken cutlets in the flour on both sides. Shake off the excess flour.
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Dip into eggs. Then, transfer floured chicken and dip in egg mixture on both sides.
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Coat in breadcrumbs. Last, dip both sides of the chicken in bread crumbs. Evenly coat and pack breadcrumbs lightly using your hand.
Brown the chicken!
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Pan-fry the chicken. In a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the breaded chicken and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden in color. Then lay the browned chicken in a large stainless steel baking dish.
Lastly, layer and bake! (Pan-fried method continued)
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Layer with mozz. First, layer the mozzarella slice on each breaded cutlet.
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Add sauce. Then spoon a general amount of sauce over top along with a generous dusting and Parmigiano Reggiano.
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Bake…then parm! Bake the chicken parmesan uncovered for 10-14 minutes at 425F (the time will largely depending on how thin or thick your chicken cutlets are).
Difference Between Baking Chicken Parm vs. Pan-Frying
I have two options for browning/cooking the chicken parmesan in this recipe. I love both but for different reasons! Here’s the difference between the two methods.
The pan-fried method is the traditional method for chicken parmesan that uses quite a bit of oil to brown the chicken cutlets in a pan. This method only browns the chicken, so it is not fully cooked and needs to be baked in the oven for the chicken parmesan to be finished. This requires a little effort but is always delicious!
The baked method uses less oil and bakes the chicken completely in the oven. The first chunk of the baking time is for the chicken to cook through and the crust to brown, then the last few minutes are for layering the sauce and melting the cheese. In my opinion, the results are almost identical to the pan-frying. This method saves time, uses less oil, and is healthier!
One reader, Alyssa, made this with the baked method: “This was soooo good! I ended up making it solely by baking and it came out so crispy! My boyfriend thought I picked it up from a restaurant.“ ★★★★★
Tips for Success
Use tongs for less mess. If you prefer not to use your hands, you can use kitchen tongs to bread the chicken!
Use quality marinara. This recipe is so delicious using my family’s San Marzano Tomato Sauce or this fresh tomato sauce. But when we don’t have homemade sauce, we also love to use our favorite store-bought sauce!
The best pan for browning chicken is a cast iron skillet. This heavy-duty pan gets hot quickly and helps brown the breading perfectly for this recipe. If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can use stainless steel.
The best pan to bake chicken parmesan in. In the years I’ve spent making chicken parmesan with my mom, she always used stainless steel baking pans – never glass. Her reason for it is the stainless steel pans heat up much quicker than glass, so it leaves for a crustier chicken. We’ve found baking it in glass yields a softer, almost soggier crust.
Make your breadcrumbs. I always recommend making your breadcrumbs to elevate the taste and texture of chicken parmesan. It takes minutes to do and makes a world of difference from store-bought. Use my homemade breadcrumb post for reference!
Make it gluten-free. If you’d like to make this recipe gluten-free, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or make your own breadcrumbs using your favorite gluten-free bread! Also, use a gluten-free flour blend to dredge the chicken in. We like Bob’s Red Mill one-to-one gf flour blend.
Other Delicious Italian Recipes to Try
- Baked Eggplant Rollatini
- Classic Eggplant Parmesan
- The Best Vegetable Lasagna
- San Marzano Tomato Sauce
- Sweet & Spicy Italian Sausage Lasagna
The Best Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana)
Video Tutorial
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 chicken breasts, sliced in half length-wise to create 6 cutlets
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour can also use gluten-free flour blend or white whole wheat
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated & finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
- 1/2 tsp (each) salt & pepper
- 2 tsp Italian herb blend (thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
For the Topping
- 6 slices Mozzarella
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/3 cup Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Tenderize chicken: place chicken cutlets/breasts in a large ziplock bag or between two sheets of plastic wrap. Firmly pound with a rolling pin or the smooth side of a meat hammer (chicken thickness should be 1/2 inch). After tenderizing, pat them dry with paper towels.
- Breadcrumbs: In a shallow dish, mix all of breadcrumb ingredients together.
- Assembly line: Set up a line of shallow bowls/dishes with flour, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt to both the flour and whisked eggs.
- Bread the chicken: First, coat the chicken on both sides in the flour, then shake off any excess flour that isn't sticking. Transfer to whisked eggs, dipping both sides of the chicken. Then dip into the breadcrumbs. Use your hands to gently pack the breadcrumbs onto each side of the chicken. Transfer the finished cutlet to a sheetpan lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all the cutlets have been breaded.
- Brown the chicken: Heat a cast-iron skillet on LOW to MEDIUM heat. Then add 3 Tablespoons of good-quality cooking olive oil and brown chicken for about 2 to 3 minutes on both sides until the breading is golden. Do this in batches until all the cutlets are browned, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
- Layer and bake: arrange the browned cutlets in a large metal baking dish or on a sheet pan. Layer first with mozzarella slices, a spoonful of tomato sauce over top, and a generous dusting of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Bake uncovered in the oven for 10-14 minutes – the bake time will largely depend on the thickness of your chicken cutlets. For thinner/smaller cutlets, aim for 10 minutes; for thicker cutlets, 14 minutes. Broil for the last minute of your bake time to melt the cheese and get a nice browning on top.
Instructions for Baked Chicken Parmesan
- If you would like to use less oil, use this baking method instead! I love making chicken parmesan this way and the results are almost identical to pan-frying. Baked method: preheat oven to 450F. Follow steps 2-5 above, then after breading the chicken, lay the cutlets on a pan lined with parchment paper. Spray the chicken with olive oil, or brush with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, if you feel the bottom is cooking too fast you can flip the chicken halfway through the bake time. Then remove from oven and layer each cutlet with mozzarella, sauce, and Parmigiano and bake for 5 additional minutes. Broil on HIGH for the last minute for the cheese to brown. Serve with fresh basil!
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the breading falling off my chicken? This is because of the liquid/moisture already on the chicken breasts. The best way to avoid this is by patting the chicken breasts dry with paper towels before breading them! This will ensure the breading stays on the chicken and doesn’t slip off when baked.
How can I prevent a soggy chicken parmesan? To avoid a soggy bottom, don’t over-sauce your chicken parmesan! Using a thicker-consistency marinara also helps. A few other things are using stainless steel pans for baking (not glass) and leaving it uncovered to get crisp edges! Once you cover the chicken, it traps the moisture and will begin to soften the crust.
Why is my chicken parmesan tough? One of the best ways to avoid “tough” chicken parmesans is to tenderize the meat! In my recipe, this step is used by pounding the chicken cutlets in a ziplock bag. This makes the chicken thinner, breaks down the muscle fibers, and naturally tenderizes it.
Tips For Freezing
Freezing tips (2 ways):
Freeze chicken parm: as the recipe instructs, let cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container. Freeze for 1-2 months. When ready to serve, let thaw at room temperature, cover in foil, and bake at 425F until warm.
Freeze chicken cutlets: Another way to freeze is by breading the chicken cutlets and browning them in a pan (they need to be fully cooked through). Let cool to room temperature before storing in freezer-friendly bags (air removed). Freeze for 1-2 months, thaw at room temperature, and assemble in chicken parmesan when ready to bake.
This was a great recipe. I was planning to use the fry method, but saw several commenters mention they used the baked version and it was just as crispy. So I decided to save the hassle and tried baking only. I did have to flip my chicken halfway through, as the bottom was crisping up faster than the top. Will definitely use this recipe again.