• 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!