This classic Chicken Parmesan is as good as it gets! It has a parmesan crust that seals in the juiciest chicken breast, topped with Homemade Marinara and a generous amount of melted cheese.
The process to make this is surprisingly quick and easy. Watch the video tutorial and you’ll be on your way to making restaurant-quality Chicken Parm at home.
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Chicken Parmesan Recipe
This is the classic version of Chicken Parm. We love re-creating our favorite Italian restaurant dishes like Zuppa Toscana and of course, this Chicken Parmesan which you can make at home for a fraction of the price. Since this chicken is breaded and covered in sauce, it also reheats really well so you will appreciate any leftovers. This is among our family’s favorite 30-minute meals.
This Chicken Parmesan Recipe is wonderful over hot pasta and served with Caesar Salad or Roasted Asparagus on the side. It can also be served as a hot sandwich on a toasted bun; yum!
Watch the Video Tutorial
This is one chicken dinner you’ll make on repeat and it always gets rave reviews. It’s truly simple to make and is perfect for busy weeknights or even a special Italian dinner night in. It’s a keeper of a recipe! If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
What is Chicken Parmesan?
The Italian name is Chicken Parmigiana and in the US, it has been nicknamed Chicken Parm, short for Chicken Parmesan. It is essentially breaded and parmesan-crusted chicken breast covered in tomato sauce and cheese and is similar to Eggplant Parmesan.
How can something so simple be THIS good you ask? You only have to try it once and you will know why everyone is talking about this dish. P.S. If you want to take this a step further, you can also make Stuffed Chicken Parmesan.
Ingredients
You just need a few pantry staples to make Chicken Parm. We do love to add a little parsley or basil to garnish the top, but that’s optional. All you need for the perfect chicken parm is:
- Chicken breasts – get boneless skinless chicken breast. Cutlets would also work or even chicken tenders for smaller strips of chicken parmesan.
- Flour – use all-purpose flour and season with salt and pepper to dredge the chicken
- Eggs – for the egg wash which helps the crumbs adhere
- Italian bread crumbs – seasoned bread crumbs add more flavor to the chicken
- Cheese – use freshly grated parmesan for the crust and shredded mozzarella for topping
- Marinara sauce – This is the best with homemade marinara sauce but if you’re in a hurry, you can use your favorite store-bought marinara
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
- Prep Marinara – If using storebought marinara, move on to step 2, otherwise, make the easy 20-minute homemade marinara. While it simmers, continue to prep the chicken.
- Cut 2 chicken breasts in half length-wise for 4 cutlets. Put them between plastic wrap and pound them to an even 1/3″ thickness then season with salt and pepper.
- Set up 3 shallow bowls: In the first bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper, in the second bowl, beat together 2 eggs, and in the third bowl, stir together parmesan and bread crumbs
- Coat Chicken – Dredge chicken in flour, dusting off excess, then dip in eggs and turn to coat in bread crumbs.
- Saute – Once all chicken is breaded, heat a large non-stick skillet with enough oil to lightly coat the bottom and saute 3-4 minutes per side or until just cooked through at 165˚F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Assemble – Pour half of your marinara sauce in a casserole dish. Arrange chicken pieces over the marinara in a single layer. Spoon on marinara sauce and top with cheese then bake in a casserole dish at 425˚F for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
Do I have to pound the chicken breast?
If chicken cutlets are large or uneven, use a meat mallet to pound between plastic wrap into 1/3″-thick cutlets and they will cook faster and more evenly. Pounding the chicken also helps to tenderize it.
Can Chicken Parm be Made Ahead?
You can saute the breaded chicken, arrange it in a casserole dish, and top it with marinara and cheese, then cover and refrigerate. Bake before serving, but be sure to bake a few minutes longer since you are baking chilled chicken. Check the internal temperature of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer to ensure that it bakes to a safe 165˚F.
For a Healthier Baked Version
While we prefer sauteing the chicken lightly in oil because it is faster and uniformly golden, you can skip the pan-frying step and make this a healthier Baked Chicken Parmesan.
To make baked chicken parm, complete steps 1 through 3, lightly coat breaded chicken breasts with cooking spray on all sides, and bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes then continue with the recipe in step 5.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
We love chicken recipes that come together fast. These are the ones our family requests most often and they have been tested and loved by hundreds of readers.
- Chicken Marsala – a classic Italian-inspired recipe
- Lemon Chicken – easy, 1-pan, 30-minute dish
- Chicken Madeira – Cheesecake Factory Copycat
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta in the best Alfredo sauce
- Chicken Pesto Pasta – 1 ingredient changes everything!
- Chicken Stir Fry – easy and so saucy
Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, (large), about 1 1/2 lbs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 large eggs, beaten until frothy
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
- 2 Tbsp Light olive oil, to sauté
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese, (1 cup shredded)
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil, or parsley, chopped for optional garnish
Instructions
- Trim chicken breasts and slice in half length-wise so you end up with 4 equal-thickness cutlets.* Season with salt and pepper.
- In a shallow bowl, stir together 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. In a second bowl, whisk 2 eggs until frothy. In a third bowl, stir together 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
- Dip both sides of each chicken cutlet into the flour, tapping off the excess, then dip in beaten eggs, letting excess egg drip off and finally dip into the cheesy breadcrumbs, pressing cutlets into breading to ensure a thick, even coating of crumbs.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once oil is hot, add chicken in batches (don't crowd the pan), sautéing 3-4 min per side or until golden brown and just cooked through.
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of marinara into a 9×13 casserole baking dish. Arrange chicken over sauce in a single layer. Top each chicken down the center with the remaining 1 1/2 cups marinara, then cover with shredded mozzarella. Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Made this last night using leftover cutlets from the night before. Also used my homemade sauce. It was delicious!!! Thank you again for another great recipe!!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha,
did you alter this recipe recently? I remember making a Chicken Parm recipe from your website but the steps were slightly different. I recall only spooning the sauce over the chicken and not covering the bottom of the pan with the sauce. Perhaps there were other steps that differ from this currently recipe but i do not recall at the moment.
Hi Mike, that is the only real difference was adding the sauce to the bottom. You can skip that step and it will still work great if you prefer to just spoon the sauce over the top.
I love everything about you, your personality, your simplicity, your happy face, your food, your recipe, EVERYTHING!!!😘😘😘😘🇨🇦
You’re so kind, thank you for your kind words and great feedback. Appreciate it!
I am going to make this tonight and was wondering if Panko bread crumbs would work ok? Maybe add some garlic and onion powder to get the “Italian” flavor?
Hi Anastasia, I think that would still work fine to use Panko crumbs, but yes I would add a little more seasoning.
What kind of oil is good cooking oil? What type do you recommend? Olive, canola, vegetable?
Hi Priscilla, any of those you mentioned are all good cooking oil.
Make this tonight. I am not a cook! My daughter loved it!! So enjoy all your recipes and videos.
That’s so great Eileen! Thank you for that feedback!
Hi Natasha I was wondering where you Purchase your cool wear & cooking Utensils?
Hello Sherry. Here’s where you can see the kitchen utensils that I usually use.
I made this recepie it was delicious.
Isn’t the flavor amazing!
One of our absolute favorite dinners! A total mom win when the whole family enjoys it and eats it without a fuss. Thank you!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Jen!
Thank you so much for the great recipe my family loved it.
You are so welcome! So great to hear that and I hope they love all the other recipes that you will try.
This is such a wonderful recipe!
Made it for the family and it was a hit!
Sounds like you found a new family favorite Katie! Thank you for that awesome review.
Trying tomorrow. Is 499 calories per serving or for the whole recipe?
Hi Julie, that is per serving. You can take that down quite a bit by reducing the cheese if you were wanting to lower the calories per serving. The marinara adds to that as well so you could always use less of it.
Chicken Parm is my FAV and your recipe is the one I always turn to! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Katie! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Ok….this looks fabulous…can’t wait to try it.
Also….where is your white pan from (checked under “shop”, but couldn’t find it)
Hi Tammy, that casserole dish is from Fred Meyer and I haven’t been able to find it online. The closest one I’ve found online is this one.
Natasha, this recipe was delicious. I made this tonight, for Valentines Day and my bf loved it. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you both enjoyed that Paulina! Thank you for the wonderful review.
Natasha where have you been all my life. You have inspired me to cook I am 66 years old….and never had the rewarding results of cooking. I am ready to start cooking 4/3/20 retirement dateChicken Marsala will be my first. Love You Stay Fabulous PS: I have 3 sisters
I hope you love this recipe, Jeanne! I love that you have 3 sisters, isn’t it the best to have best friends around all the time! I’m smiling big reading your comment.
My family LOVED this chicken parm! My picky three year old and even pickier husband both had seconds! Thank you so much for this tasty dish, we’ll be making it again and again. <3
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new Family favorite, Rebecca
Hi Natasha, I made this the other nite and it was amazing, so flavorful, I used chicken tenders cause I had a large pkg in freezer of them and OMG!! And made your meatloaf again too, so so yummy!! Thankyou for all that you do, you are wonderful!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Mary!
Hello Natasha, this dish looks amazing, I could almost smell it lol. I was wondering if you used marinara sauce from a jar or homemade? Thank you
Hi Letty, we used Ragu jar marinara for this quick recipe. We have a photo of it in the post. I hope that helps.
If you can find Rao’s Marinara, it is simply magnificent. Pricey at $8/24oz jar – but well worth it for this fabulous dish. Rao’s is just like the sauce we used to find in NY restaurants.
Thank you so much, I will try that. Just have too find where they sell it lol
Vincent thank you so much for recommending the Rao’s Marinara sauce. It is a great sauce, I loved it. It was pricey but worth it. Even my husband asked me if I did something different, because the dish tasted way better than other times lol
So glad you enjoyed Rao’s, Letty. It is Buon Appetit magazine’s jarred sauce of choice. Occasionally, it is on sale at Whole Foods for $4.99 or so.
We think Victoria’s Brand tastes like homemade.
I loved this recipe! Only I cooked the chicken on the oven only due to my husband”s health. Very very good!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Connie!
When I used flour/egg/bread crumbs, the breading would slide off – and it’s rather unpleasant. Then I skipped the flour and used only egg and breadcrumbs – this achieved a much better result for me. Do you know what was I might have been doing wrong with the flour? Thank you for your great recipes.
Hi Vincent, I’d be happy to trouble shoot with you! Pat the chicken dry before dredging in flour and then dipping in egg. The only other suggestion would be to make sure your chicken is well coated in both the flour and then the egg before breading. I’m so glad you liked it