Authentic Chicken Parmesan {Family Recipe}

Learn how to make authentic chicken parmesan! Tender breaded chicken topped with hearty tomato sauce, melted cheese, and lots of herbs. This DELICIOUS Italian classic is one my family has been making for years and is to this day the best I’ve ever had!

Chicken parmigiana is an American-Italian dish that consists of tender breaded chicken covered in marinara with melted mozzarella & parmesan cheese! Even though this dish is served in a lot of Italian restaurants, it actually did not originate in Italy, but was created by Italian immigrants here in America! (source)

Growing up, I knew one thing to be true. That my mom made the best chicken parmesan around! No restaurant or other recipe has ever compared.

This recipe is a family favorite and has been served for all of our family birthday dinners, holidays, and special occasions!

You’ll find every bite filled with fall-apart juicy chicken, rich homemade tomato sauce, and so much flavor. And let’s not forget the browned cheesiness on top!

Ingredients – What You Need

Chicken cutlets or breast: use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Flour: use all purpose flour for dredging the chicken in.
Eggs: an egg mixture is used to help the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken after coating in flour.
Breadcrumbs: for the breading mixture – you can use store-bought panko breadcrumbs or use homemade breadcrumbs (see below for recipe).
Marinara: use a quality store-bought marinara sauce or make a homemade sauce! See below for my top recommendations.
Olive oil: oil is used to brown the chicken in batches.
Parmesan cheese: to add salty flavor to the breadcrumbs and for sprinkling over the chicken at the end!
Fresh mozzarella cheese: to layer over the chicken and for sprinkling over the top! You can use shredded or sliced pieces of mozzarella.
Dried Italian herbs: to season the breadcrumbs so the chicken cuts have lots of herb flavor.
Fresh basil: Add fresh basil at the end for bright flavor!
Garlic powder: for flavoring the breadcrumb mixture.
Black pepper & salt: for flavor!

How to Make Authentic Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana) – Step by Step

(1) Tenderize the chicken – Place chicken cutlets/breasts in a ziplock bag, and firmly pound with a rolling pin or smooth side of a meat mallet – chicken thickness should be 1/2 inch.)

(2) First, in a shallow bowl, dip the chicken cutlets in the flour on both sides.

(3) Then, transfer floured chicken and dip in egg mixture on both sides.

(4) Last, dip both sides of chicken in bread crumbs. Evenly coat and pack breadcrumbs lightly with your hand

How to Make Crispy Chicken

(5) In a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Lay breaded chicken in an oiled pan and brown chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown in color.

(6) Place browned chicken cutlets in a baking pan or dish (9×13), top with mozzarella and a layer of marinara sauce. Bake for 13-15 minutes – then sprinkle with shredded parmesan and mozzarella and broil on HIGH for 1 additional minute – the cheese will be bubbling and browned.

Make it Low Carb

To make this recipe a little healthier and without breading use 1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese mixed with the herbs, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Dip chicken into egg, then parmesan cheese mixture, and then bake accordingly. The result will be so cheesy and delicious!

My Favorite Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs

This isn’t required but is recommended to elevate your recipe even more. Homemade Italian breadcrumbs take only a few minutes and make a world of difference for this dish!

How to make Italian breadcrumbs: Toast 5-7 slices of your choice of bread – whole wheat, Ezekiel bread, or gluten-free. Blend toast in a food processor or high-powered blender with 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp Italian herbs, and 1/2 tsp salt. SO easy and absolutely delicious!

Extra Helpful Recipes Tips

• Chicken breast vs chicken cutlets: For chicken parmesan you can use either chicken breast or chicken cutlets. The difference? A chicken breast is the whole thing; a chicken cutlet is a slice of meat cut from a chicken breast. It is generally thinner than the whole breast.
• Make our homemade sauce: What makes this Authentic Italian Chicken Parmigiana delicious is using my family’s San Marzano Tomato Sauce or this fresh tomato sauce. This sauce we simmer for several hours to perfection to get a thick, rich, and flavorful tomato sauce. You can also use our favorite store-bought suace to save time.
• The best pot for browning chicken: Use a cast iron skillet for browning chicken. This heavy duty pan gets hot quick and helps brown the breading perfectly for this recipe. You can also use stainless steel if you don’t have cast iron on hand. 
• What to use instead of breadcrumbs: If you do not have breadcrumbs, you can either make your own (see notes below) or grind up old-fashion oats, crushed regular corn flakes, or cracker crumbs.
• Best baking vessel: my mom always recommends using a stainless steal pan for baking chicken – especially chicken parm. It will heat up fast, stay hot, and keep the chicken crispy – not soggy!

Our Favorite Ways to Serve It

You can serve this chicken parm with pasta noodles, such as spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, or even gluten-free pasta if needed! If you’re looking for a lighter side to pair it with, you can do zucchini noodles or vegetable noodles as a healthier replacement for pasta. For salad, you can serve it with a simple green salad, caesar salad, our Tuscan artichoke salad or this abundant Italian salad with some crusty bread on the side.

Tips For Freezing & Storing Leftovers

Keep leftovers fresh: store cooked chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. To reheat, place in a baking tray and cover with foil, bake at 350F until warm.

Freezing tips (2 ways):
Freeze chicken parm: as the recipe instructs, let cool the room temperature and then store in an airtight container. Freeze for 1-2 months. When ready to serve, let thaw at room temperature, and cover in foil, and bake 425F until warm.

Freeze chicken cutlets: another way to freeze is by breading the chicken cutlets and browning them in a pan. Let cool to room temperature before storing in freezer-friendly bags (air removed). Freeze for 1-2 months then thaw at room temperature and assemble in chicken parmesan when ready to bake.

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
• Easy Baked Ziti