Chicken Parmesan may be the ultimate comfort food. Juicy, tender, and crispy breaded chicken breasts are baked to perfection in marinara sauce with mozzarella and parmesan cheese melting on top!
Served over spaghetti pasta, it's a recipe that you'll want to make again and again.
What could be better than breaded chicken? Breaded chicken baked in marinara sauce and topped with gooey, melted cheese! That's baked chicken parmesan!
Take it from somebody who has worked in the restaurant business for a long time. A great Chicken Parmesan is easy and delicious COMFORT FOOD that will please the entire family.
But you don't need to be in a restaurant to enjoy this dish. This is an easy and great homemade meal.
Ingredients
CHICKEN CUTLETS: 3 pieces of chicken each sliced in half, one large egg, Panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese
SAUCE + TOPPING: Marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese
How To Make This Chicken Parmesan Recipe
For more detailed measurements and instructions, please check the printable recipe card below.
- Butterfly, tenderize, season, and bread the chicken.
- Fry the chicken in olive oil until golden brown on each side.
- Transfer the chicken into a casserole dish.
- Add your favorite tomato sauce (we love this marinara sauce).
- Top with fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 450º Fahrenheit. Serve over spaghetti pasta.
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Recipe Success Tips
CHEESE. Avoid pre-shredded cheese whenever possible.
Freshly grated cheese is always better. It tastes better, melts better, and often works out to be more economical. And you'll avoid the fillers and additives that you'll get with pre-shredded cheese.
Keep the leftovers and use them to make a delicious Chicken Parmesan Sandwich.
To make this most delicious sandwich simply reheat the chicken. Slice and lightly toast your favorite sandwich bread (try focaccia bread!). Add the chicken and top with a few basil leaves. - Simply divine.
What Goes With Chicken Parmesan?
Spaghetti pasta is the classic of course. But if you're looking for a fun twist on classic spaghetti pasta you serve it over a side of Spätzle.
A side of garlic bread is delicious with this dinner! Some might even say it's a must. 😉
If you're looking for a salad a simple chopped tomato salad, or Oma's German Cucumber Salad work nicely.
And if you're looking to add some veggies, try serving it with a side of broccoli or cauliflower.
How Long Does Chicken Parmesan Last In The Fridge?
Allow the chicken parmesan to cool and transfer into an airtight container. The Chicken Parmesan will last for 3 days.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Krautfleckerl - fried German cabbage and bacon pasta
- Chicken Schnitzel - an easy spin on classic German Schnitzel
- Jägerschnitzel - breaded pork cutlets with a creamy bacon mushroom sauce
- Lazy Lasagna - easy 4-ingredient lasagna perfect for busy weeknights
- Roasted Lemon Chicken - made with capers and olives and served over pasta. Easy and delicious.
Did you try our Cheesy Chicken Parmesan? Awesome! Please take a moment to rate the recipe below!
Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguini
Breaded Chicken Cutlets
- 1 - 1¼ pound chicken breast cut lengthwise in half
- salt and pepper enough to season both sides of each chicken breast
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Frying
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
For the Sauce
- 24 ounces Marinara Sauce or your favorite pasta sauce
- 8 ounces Mozzarella cheese cut into 6 thin slices, grate remaining mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan grated
Instructions
PREP
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, cover, and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 450º Fahrenheit.
- Cut 6 thin slices of mozzarella cheese. Grate the remaining mozzarella. Set aside.Grate 1 cup of parmesan cheese. ½ cup for the breading and ½ cup to sprinkle on top of the marinara sauce.
- Prepare two shallow dishes. The first dish is for the eggs. Use a fork or whisk to lightly beat the eggs. In the second dish combine ½ cup of parmesan and 1 cup panko breadcrumbs.
Breading The Chicken
- Butterfly the chicken. Cover with plastic foil and pound with a meat tenderizer (or a rolling pin) until the slices are thin and tender. Season each side with salt and pepper.
- Dip each slice of chicken into the egg wash. Make sure the chicken is fully coated. Transfer the chicken into the bowl with the parmesan breadcrumb mixture and coat well.
Frying The Chicken
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot transfer the chicken into the frying pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides. About 3-5 minutes per side.
Assembling the Casserole
- Use 2-3 tablespoons of marinara sauce and spread across a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
- Transfer fried chicken into the casserole dish and coat it with the remaining marinara sauce. Top with mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with the remaining grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
Baking The Chicken Parmesan
- Bake the chicken for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve Chicken Parmesan over pasta. Enjoy.
Cathy W
My sister made this and sent it home with me..it was fantastic! Love it will be making it...
Maike
Oh, yay. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Michelle
Do you have to use bread crumbs?it sounds delicious can't wait to make it
Maike
Great question! I suppose you don't have to. I've never made it without breadcrumbs but don't see why it shouldn't work as long as you are prepared that it is going to taste a little differently. But different doesn't have to mean worse.
So, if you feel adventurous, you could try just season the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté it in olive oil beforehand. If you try it, please let us know how you liked it.
Sandra Beaubien
Can I prepare the chicken in the frying pan and bake later
Maike
Great question. Yes, you can! 🙂
Dee
Made this for my husband and grandson. It was soooo delicious. Definitely on my "can make this again" list.
Maike
Awe, I'm so excited you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing. :-).
Santana Reid
I love the layout of the recipe with the pictures and the bold text for each step.
The recipe was delicious as well. My family of four ate it right up
Maike
I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing. You've made my day. 🙂
Carole
I used to make this The easy way with Chicken Nuggets. It was the kids favorite and was polished off in nothing flat. Thanks for reminding me of this family favorite. I hadn't made it for ages.
Maike
That's a great idea for a shortcut. I'll add that as a suggestion when the recipe gets updated. Thank you, Carole!
Kathleen
I love chicken parm but because of the time it took only made once a year, NOT anymore!! This is fantastic, quick and an absolute favorite in our house, thank you!!
Laura Hablutzel
Easy recipe, quick to make and delicious. Thank you Maike!
Maike
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jen
The only thing that I did differently was to only use the minimum amount of sauce needed to cover the top of each browned piece of chicken. I wanted to save the remaining sauce to coat the cooked pasta.
Dave d
This was better then any chicken Parm I’ve ever gotten from a restaurant. It looked even better then the pictures in the recipe. This dish is absolutely delicious and can feed a family of 4.
Noel
Great recipe…. At what point can you make this a freezer meal? Thanks I like to batch cook.
Carolyn
I loved this, I definitely will be making this again and again and again❣️