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.
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!
Table of contents
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
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
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.
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.”
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
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Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
- Stove Top
- Oven
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Grapeseed Oil
- 2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place grapeseed oil in frying pan. Heat on medium-high. Whisk the egg in one shallow dish, and pour the bread crumbs in another. Clean the chicken and pat dry. Cut the chicken in half length-wise. Dip each chicken breast into the egg mixture then the bread crumbs. Place the chicken in the frying pan (make sure to not overcrowd) . Cook for 3-5 minutes turning and cooking on the other side for 1-2 minutes.
- While chicken is frying, pour 2 cups of marinara sauce into a 9×12 pan. Place the cooked chicken in the pan. Repeat frying the chicken until it’s all cooked. Once it’s cooked ladle an additional 1-2 cups of marinara sauce on top of the chicken. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken (divided by each piece of chicken) Place tinfoil on top of pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove tinfoil during the last 5 minutes to allow mozzarella to brown. Remove from oven and serve with pasta. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
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Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
that’s an awesome tip!!! and this chicken parm def looks flawless!
Katie
Thanks Kayle! yes–who knew chicken needed to be dried off…
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
Too funny – it’s my husband’s bday on the 28th and this is his favorite!!
Katie
Almost birthday twins (Jon’s is the 27th)! I guess I know what you’ll be cooking this weekend.