Easy chicken Parmigiana recipe is the solution to your weeknight dinner dilemma. Thin chicken breasts are coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, fried and topped with melted cheese, marinara sauce and serve alongside your favorite pasta.
Chicken Parmigiana, chicken Parmesan, chicken Parm, pollo alla Parmigiana (as it’s known in Italy). This Italian-American dish goes by many names, but one thing is certain, this crispy breaded chicken breast with tomato sauce, cheese, basil and Parmesan cheese is sooooo good!
For a step-by-step video to see the recipe being made, just press play!
Going completely non-traditional, I use panko breadcrumbs for the breading. The extra crispiness you get from the panko is shockingly good. So we take the time to make the crispiest chicken cutlet possible, but then we ladle sauce over it only to make it soggy? I have a solution, it’s a barrier of melted cheese. Again non-traditional, what is better than gooey melted cheese on crispy chicken? The cheese prevents the marinara sauce from soaking into the breading. I know, I thought it was a pretty good idea as well (smug face).
If you have a batch of this easy homemade marinara sauce and pasta, you can get dinner on the table in 20 minutes. The chicken breasts must be thin for this recipe. The best way to achieve this is carefully slice a chicken breast horizontally (lengthwise) so you get 2 thin pieces out of 1 breast. If you can find already cut, thin chicken breasts like they have in my store, which is a God send, then even better. This way you save time having to cut the chicken breasts in half and getting them even is not easy.
This recipe was inspired by the easy homemade marinara sauce I made last week and we had this easy chicken Parmigiana 3 nights in a row, which I had no complaints about.
Thin chicken breasts are coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, fried and topped with melted cheese, marinara sauce and serve alongside your favorite pasta.
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts * see note
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs beaten with a teaspoon water to thin out
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
- Peanut oil
- 4 slices Provolone or mozzarella cheese
- Marinara sauce warm
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Fresh basil for garnish
Preheat oven to 250°F. Place a cooling rack inside a baking sheet and place in the oven.
Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise through the center to make 4 thin breasts.
To 3 shallow bowls add the flour, egg and panko Add a ½ teaspoon salt to the flour and breadcrumbs, mix. Add the dried basil and the Parmesan cheese to the panko, mix.
Coat a chicken breast in flour, then coat in egg and finally in panko, set aside. Repeat with the other chicken breasts.
To a large skillet add the oil until it comes 1/3 of the way up the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until to start to see the oil ripple. Throw in a breadcrumb, if it sizzles, it is ready.
Place 1 or 2 pieces of chicken (depending on how large your pan is) into the oil, don’t crowd. Fry for 2-3 per side until golden brown. Transfer to the rack in the oven. Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts.
Top each chicken breast with a slice of cheese. Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
When the cheese is melted, remove the chicken from the oven. Top with warm marinra sauce, grated Parmesan and fresh basil. Serve alongside your favorite pasta.
* If you can find already cut thin chicken breasts, use those
Kathy Sanders says
I made this for Friday night dinner and my family inhaled them. Love, love, love the panko breading, so crispy.