Chicken Parmesan

Name: Chicken Parmesan
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 47 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil; 2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs; 2 eggs; 3 boneless skinless chicken breast; 4 cups marinara sauce; 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (divided)

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My homemade Chicken Parmesan recipe is one of my husband’s all time favorite Italian dinner recipes I make. Breaded chicken breast deep fried, then topped with marinara sauce and cheese and baked in the oven until the cheese is bubbly.

Close up of a piece of Chicken Parmesan on a white plate with pasta and text on image.

Since my husbands birthday is this week I figured I would share one of his all-time favorite recipes, Chicken Parmesan. His mom has been making this favorite meal of his for quite some time. I’ve tried mastering chicken Parmesan for years, and time after time miserably failing. I could never get my breading to stick! Finally I consulted with my mother in-law and she told me a secret.

Now, I think most people know this secret but for those who don’t I’m ready to change your chicken breading life forever (just as it did mine). The secret is to pat dry your chicken and dry it off completely. Yes, that’s it. Now that I know the secret I’ve been breading and frying just about everything and making Chicken Parmesan for my husband at least 1-2 each month. He’s been loving it–and although it’s not his mom’s he still enjoys it. Nothing will ever be as good as when your mom makes it. I like think mine is a close second in his book!

Ingredients
Directions
FAQs
Tips & Tricks
Italian Recipes

Two white plates stacked with a pile of pasta with chicken parmesan topped with fresh basil.

Ingredients

Oil – Because I’m frying I like to use a flavorless oil such as Grapeseed oil. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor and has a high smoke point for frying.
Chicken Breast – I prefer using thinner chicken cutlets these days, but a larger chicken breast pounded out would be fine.
Eggs – Two eggs is all you need to coat the chicken breast in before dipping in bread crumbs.
Breadcrumbs – I love to use Italian style breadcrumbs.
Marinara Sauce – You can make your own marinara sauce or use your favorite jar sauce.
Mozzarella Cheese – I like to save time nad purchase my mozzarella pre-shredded.

Directions

Two plates stacked with a piece of fried chicken parmesan and pasta with fork on plate.

Fry the Chicken Cutlets

The process of making Chicken Parmesan is relatively easy and only requires just a few ingredients. Be prepared to fry the chicken and then bake it in the oven. Once you’ve patted your chicken dry, you’ll ant to dip it into the egg wash followed by the bread crumbs. That’s it! I like to fry on medium heat and I fry the chicken until it’s ¾ of the way cooked through.

Sauce & Cheese

While the chicken is frying I preheat the oven. Then I like a 9 x 12 pan with a few ladles of my simple marinara sauce. As the chicken is almost done I begin removing each breast one-by-one and place into the baking dish. Once the chicken breast are all in the dish I place a few more ladles of sauce on top of the semi-cooked chicken breast.

Sprinkle with a little mozzarella cheese and in the oven to bake (covered with tinfoil of course) for a good 20-25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes I pull the tinfoil off and let the cheese get golden brown in color.

How to make Chicken Parmesan in the Air Fryer

These days, I love to use my Air Fryer and make chicken Parmesan in half the time and without nearly the same amount of fat from frying in oil.

Preheat the Air Fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bread chicken cutlets the same as you would for traditional chicken Parmesan.
Spray racks with non stick cooking spray then spray the cutlet with olive oil spray.
Bake for 15 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Carefully remove from the Air Fryer. Spoon on a little sauce and top with cheese. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted!

FAQs

How many people does this chicken parmesan recipe feed?

This chicken parmesan recipe feeds 6 hungry adults! You’ll notice only 3 chicken breast in the ingredients list, that is because you will pound them out and slice them thinner.

What is the difference between chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana?

According to wikipedia “As nouns the difference between parmesan and parmigiana is that parmesan is a hard, full-fat italian cheese from parma while parmigiana is (cooking|in combination) a cooking style in which a main ingredient is combined with cheese and coated with tomato sauce before being baked.”

What goes with chicken parmesan?

I like to serve my chicken parm with pasta or veggie noodles, oven roasted broccoli, salad, and bread.

Tips & Tricks

Here are all my favorite tips and tricks when making my chicken parmigiana recipe.

Frying – Always pat the chicken dry before dipping in egg wash and breadcrumbs to ensure a crisp breaded outside.
Chicken Cutlets – You can save time by purchasing chicken cutlets from the grocery store.
Cutting the Chicken Breast – If you can’t find the chicken cutlets at the grocery store you can pound out the chicken breast using a meat tenderizer then using a serrated knife cut the chicken breast in half.
Make Ahead – You can fry the chicken cutlets ahead of time, layer in sauce, and top with cheese. Then place in the refrigerator over night. The next day before you are ready to serve set out of the refrigerator one hour prior. Bake for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Italian Recipes

If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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