Valentina Ablaev
This easy chicken parmesan recipe is the iconic Italian-American dish that everyone knows and loves. Crispy chicken cutlets, topped with a homemade marinara sauce, cheese and fresh basil. This is the perfect protein to serve over your favorite pasta for a complete dinner!
You can even skip all the hard work and make a cheesy chicken parm pasta bake!
Olive Garden Copycats
If there’s something we love, it’s a restaurant copycat recipe! Olive Garden dishes are some of our favorites to recreate because they’re simpler and SO much cheaper when made at home. We have everything from the Olive Garden breadsticks to a spicy zuppa toscana, and a creamy chicken scampi; all three courses!
This classic Olive Garden recipe can be recreated at home for a fraction of the price.
How to Get Extra Crispy Chicken
I love the crispiness of the chicken, here are some pro tips to ensure its outside texture is perfect every time!
- Even chicken. Don’t skip beating the chicken breast cutlets with a meat mallet! This will help the chicken cook evenly and thoroughly.
- Organized station. When it comes to battering and dredging, your kitchen can become a mess fast! To make the process of battering the chicken easier, use large breading bowls
- Oil temperature. To get a crispy crust, it’s essential to heat up the oil to a medium-high heat. If the oil is too cold, the crust will get soggy. Be careful not to heat the oil too hot because you can burn the crust before the chicken is done cooking.
- Cook chicken in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan with breaded chicken, but cook it in batches. This will help develop a crispy crust.
Tools for this Recipe
Shop all of Valentina’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and kitchen must-haves!
- To get the chicken cutlets into even cutlets, we use a meat mallet!
- To get a smooth marinara sauce, we use an immersion blender or a handheld blender!
- To make the dredging process easier, use deep dish or shallow bowls so the ingredients don’t make a mess.
Chicken Parmesan Ingredients
- Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breasts are perfect for this chicken parmesan.
- Marinara sauce – Our homemade marinara sauce is made with onion, fresh garlic, cubed tomatoes, and italian seasoning.
- Bowl 1 – A dry dredge made with flour and seasoning.
- Bowl 2 – The wet dredge made with beaten eggs.
- Bowl 3 – A crunchy mixture made with panko bread crumbs, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a variety of seasonings.
- Cheese – Sliced provolone cheese is the key to a delicious chicken parm. You can also use mozzarella or parmesan in place of provolone cheese.
- Fresh herbs – We love a sprinkle of fresh basil to tie this dish together.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Recipe
The easiest step-by-step instructions:
- Make marinara sauce. In a saucepan, saute onions in butter and oil. Add in fresh garlic, canned tomatoes, and seasoning. Simmer for a few minutes and puree with a handheld immersion blender. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Prep chicken. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise to create thin cutlets. Use a meat mallet to flatten out the cutlets into an even thickness.
3. Dredge cutlets. Take each cutlet and press it into the bowl of flour, then dip it into the egg batter and allow the excess liquid to drip off. Press into the breadcrumb mixture. Set the cutlets onto a plate until all the chicken is dredged.
4. Fry chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cutlets to the oil and fry on both sides until golden brown.Remove from the pan and rest on a wire rack while remaining chicken cooks.
5. Assemble. Add the cooked chicken to a baking sheet. Top each cutlet with a large spoonful of marinara sauce. Layer the chicken with slices of cheese.
6. Bake. Add the baking sheet of chicken parm to the oven and broil for 4 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve, and enjoy!
Can You Make Chicken Parm Without Frying?
Air fryer
- To air-fry the chicken parm, follow the same steps to fry the chicken.
- Once you’ve dredged the chicken, add it to your air fryer basket.
- Spray lightly with cooking spray for a golden crust.
- Air fry the chicken at 400℉ for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
- After 10 minutes, add marinara and cheese and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Serving Suggestions
- Pasta: Serve chicken parm over fresh pasta or homemade spaghetti for the perfect italian meal.
- Soup: Serve the chicken parm with a soup side just like at Olive Garden! Our creamy chicken gnocchi is the perfect copycat recipe.
- Salad: Enjoy this chicken parm with a light caprese salad for a well-balanced meal.
- Sandwich: Serve cheesy chicken parm on a toasted sub to make a perfect sandwich, similar to a meatball sub sandwich!
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Store leftover chicken parm in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. To get crispy leftover chicken parmesan, airfry at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Freeze. Freeze the breaded and fried cutlets for an easy chicken parm later on! Arrange the fried and cooled cutlets in a freezer-safe container, lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Bake the chicken cutlets at 350°F for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Top with marinara sauce, sliced cheese, and broil for 5 minutes.
More Italian Recipes
If you enjoyed this chicken parm recipe, be sure to try our other popular italian recipes; here are some of our favorites:
Grains and Pasta
Grains and Pasta
Grains and Pasta
Grains and Pasta
If you tried this best baked chicken parmesan recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
homemade marinara recipe –
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 small onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 14.5 oz cubed tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
chicken –
- 2 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil optional
bowl 1 (dry dredge) –
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- dash of pepper
bowl 2 (wet dredge) –
- 2 large eggs beaten
bowl 3 (crunchy dredge) –
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground paprika
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
Instructions
Marinara sauce –
- In a saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tsp of oil. To the pan, add a finely chopped onion, and cook until softened.
- To the onions, add minced garlic, cubed tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth.
- Turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid, and cook until the chicken is ready to be topped.
Batter chicken –
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 cutlets.
- Use a meat mallet to beat the chicken breasts into an even thickness.
- Set up all 3 bowls for the dredging process.
- Take one cutlet at a time, dunk it in bowl 1, and press it in the flour.
- Take the cutlet from the flour into the egg batter in bowl 2. Allow the excess egg to drip off and then into bowl 3. Press the breadcrumbs firmly into the cutlet and place it on a plate.
- Repeat with the remaining cutlets until all are battered.
- In a large skillet, heat 3 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add one cutlet at a time. You want to make sure you hear a sizzle. (The key to a crispy cutlet is not overcrowding the pan, so cook them in batches if you have to.
- Cook the cutlets for 3 minutes per side and set them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Top each cutlet generously with marinara sauce and slices of cheese.
- Add the chicken to the oven and broil on low for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
- Garnish chicken parm with fresh basil, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Prep chicken. Beat the chicken into even cutlets for an evenly cooked chicken.
- Fry in batches. Cook the chicken in batches to prevent the cutlets from getting soggy.
- Refrigerate. Leftovers are great to store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To preserve the crispy, cheesy combo, use the air fryer when reheating leftovers.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute homemade marinara for store-bought for an even more straightforward assembly process. We frequently use the store-bought marinara.
There could be a few reasons for the breading falling off. The main reason this can happen is that the dredge is too wet. Make sure you’re allowing the egg to drip off before dipping it into the breading.
Yes, you can substitute eggs with some form of dairy to create the binding of chicken to bread.
The best cheese for chicken parm is a melty cheese like mozzarella, or provolone.
