Chicken Parmesan Recipe {The BEST!} - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published May 22, 2018. Updated April 22, 2020

Chicken Parmesan! It is easily the bestrecipe I’ve ever tried and it’s likely to become you’re new favorite too. Everything about it is spot on delicious! From the tender crusted chicken, to the gooey melted cheese, and the final coating of fresh marinara and basil. YUM!

The Best Chicken Parmesan Recipe

We’ve probably all had our fair share of mediocre or even bad chicken Parmesan. You know the kind that’s overcooked, has little flavor, the breading is so so, the sauce is covering the entire surface of the crusted chicken and absorbs right into the crumbs making it soggy, and the cheese is overcooked and chewy?

This crispy chicken parmesan recipeis the opposite of all those negatives. You get:

• A perfectly golden brown crispy parmesan crust. And it’s amazingly crisp thanks to the extra crispy Panko and frying it in olive oil.
• Sauce only covered the cheese, which protects that crispy layer of crumbs, so you wont end up with a soggy breading (what’s the point of breading if you’re just going to soak it in a wet sauce?).
• It has great flavor throughout. There’s parmesan and herbs in the breading, two kinds of cheese cover the top, basil, onion and garlic in the homemade marinara, and it’s finished with more fresh basil.
• The cheese isn’t overly chewy. If you pull it out of the broiler after just a minute or two it should still be stretchy and gooey.

So, in other words this is the homemade chicken Parmesan recipe you’ll want for life!

Want to see how easy this Chicken Parmesan recipe is? Watch the video!

Chicken Parmesan Ingredients

I know this is a long list, but it’s worth it! Scroll below for shortcuts if you are looking to simplify this easy chicken Parmigiana.

• Chicken breasts
• Canned crushed tomatoes
• Yellow onion
• Fresh garlic
• Olive oil
• Panko bread crumbs
• Cheese! – Parmesan, Mozzarella and Provolone
• Herbs and spices – Dried oregano, fresh basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Flour
• Egg

How to Make Chicken Parmesan from Scratch

• Prepare the chicken –cut the chicken breasts evenly all the way through their thickness to create two portions.

• Pound chicken to a thin even thickness (I like to cover with plastic wrap first to prevent splattering).
• Season chicken – sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

• Make the chicken parmesan sauce – saute onions then add garlic and saute in a saucepan.

• Then mix in crushed tomatoes, oregano and two sprigs of basil (two bigger stems).
• Let simmer 20 minutes.

• Bread the chicken –mix together the flour and eggs in a shallow dish until smooth. In a separate dish stir together Panko, parmesan, garlic powder, and oregano.
• Dab chicken dry with paper towels and dredge both sides the chicken in the egg mixture, then transfer to Panko mixture and dredge both sides and press to help the crumbs stick.

• Pan fry the chicken – heat olive oil in a 10-inch non-stick skillet (I like preheat this will coating the chicken), cook two chicken cutlets at a time, about 2 – 3 minutes per side until it’s practically cooked through and well browned.

• Bake the chicken – transfer the chicken to a baking sheet. Cover each with a big mound of shredded cheese.
• Broil until melted (be sure chicken registers 165, if not you can reduce the oven temp to 375 and let cook through. This shouldn’t be necessary though if you began with thin chicken and cooked it long enough in the skillet).

• Top and serve – immediately after baking top with spoonfuls of marinara and plenty of fresh basil and serve right away while that cheese is nice and melty!

Can I Use Regular Breadcrumbs?

No, Panko breadcrumbs are best for this breaded chicken parmesan recipe. Panko breadcrumbs are flakier and lighter than traditional breadcrumbs, which makes this chicken parmesan extra crispy without weighing it down too much.

Do I Have to Fry the Chicken?

Traditional chicken parmesan is made by frying the chicken, but if you’d rather skip that step you could certainly bake the chicken instead. If you’d like to go that route, I recommend making my Baked Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini. It’s the lazier version of chicken parmesan and a one-pan dinner.

What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan

Not sure what to pair with this homemade chicken parmesan? Here are a few of my favorite sides for chicken parmesan:

• Buttered noodles
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Simple Side Salad
• Garlic Bread
• Roasted Vegetables
• Side Salad with Pesto Dressing

Tips for Making Chicken Parmesan

I think you’ll love this recipe exactly as is but if you are in a rush here are a few tips to make it go even faster:

• Use 4 store-bought chicken cutlets, then you shouldn’t need to halve and flatten.
• Use a good quality store-bought marinara sauce instead of making this homemade version.
• Skip shredding cheese and just use two slices of mozzarella or provolone per chicken piece instead and use pre-shredded parmesan from the deli.
• Use two skillets so you don’t have to wait and cook the second two after the first batch.

More Italian Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:

• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta– deliciously creamy, amazingly hearty and just perfectly satisfying!
• Creamy Chicken Piccata – everything is better with cream and that lemon cream combo is dreamy.
• Avocado Caprese Skillet Chicken – a must try recipe! Avocado takes the caprese combo to a whole new level of delicious.
• Lemon Chicken Romano – similar to this recipe but with lemon flavors instead.
• One-Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies – love this quick and easy dinner!