Easy chicken parmesan (parmigiana) is the ultimate chicken dinner comfort food. Soft and tender chicken with a crispy, breaded coating covered in a rich tomato sauce, and topped with golden melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese. This crowd favourite is much easier to make than you might think. Serve it on its own or over a bed of spaghetti pasta.
I love a good chicken dinner, especially one that looks super fancy and despite having a few different steps, is easy to make. Creamy chicken roulade with spinach and mushrooms or roasted spatchcock chicken are some of my other go-tos. For more chicken dinner inspo, check out my most popular quick and easy chicken recipes.
What is in Chicken Parmesan?
- chicken breasts - You can use 4 or 5 halved chicken breasts (whatever fits on your skillet). I used 5 halves and then used the remaining chicken to make Shanghai style fried noodles the next day.
- breaded coating - salt, Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.
- eggs - to help the breaded coating stick onto the chicken.
- vegetable oil - for pan-frying the chicken.
- tomato sauce - onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, and salt.
- mozzarella cheese - for that cheesy topping.
- Parmesan cheese - for the topping.
- fresh parsley - to garnish on top.
You will also need a cast-iron skillet (or an oven safe skillet). You could also fry the chicken in a regular skillet and then transfer into a casserole dish to bake with the sauce and cheese.
How to Make the Best Chicken Parmesan
First, prepare the chicken. Place each halved chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or in a freezer bag. Carefully flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin to achieve uniform thickness, about ½-inch thick. Don’t pound the breasts too hard. Pat dry each breast completely with a paper towel and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
How to Coat Chicken Parmesan
- In a shallow plate, whisk together Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Add beaten eggs into another shallow plate.
- Dip both sides of each halved chicken breast into the eggs to evenly coat them, and then dip it into the breadcrumb mixture. The breadcrumbs will stick to the egg wash.
Then, heat oil in a non stick cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil is sizzling and shimmering. Pan fry the chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Set aside on a plate. The chicken should be almost fully cooked and the internal temperature should reach above 155 F, as measured on a meat thermometer.
Then, prepare the tomato sauce. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the hot oil in the skillet. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes until soft and tender. Then, add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, parsley, and salt. Stir well to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn to low heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer sauce into a bowl.
Now, let's assemble the chicken parmesan and bake. In the same skillet (or in another cast-iron skillet or casserole dish), evenly spread ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom. Place the chicken breasts spaced evenly apart over the sauce. Cover each breast with ¼ cup sauce, and top each breast with a slice of mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley on top.
Bake in a 425F preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Serve with spaghetti and garnish with more parsley on top.
How to Serve Chicken Parmesan
Serve this easy chicken parmesan over a plate of spaghetti, or with some crusty bread for major dipping and soaking up of all that sauce. My favourites are easy ciabatta rolls, rosemary garlic focaccia, and skillet dinner rolls. I also like to serve it with a side salad or roasted vegetables.
More Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Roulade with Spinach and Mushrooms
- Apple Dijon Braised Chicken Thighs
- Skillet Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
- Apple Cider Chicken with Butternut Squash
- Creamy Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce
- One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken
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Recipe
Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
Description
Easy chicken parmesan (parmigiana) with crispy breaded chicken, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The best comfort chicken dinner.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2-3 chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (for pan-frying)
For the sauce:
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 5 slices of mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken:
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Slice each chicken breast carefully in half lengthwise. Place each halved chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or in a freezer bag. Carefully flatten the chicken breasts with a rolling pin to achieve uniform thickness, about ½-inch thick. Don’t pound the breasts too hard. It could tear them apart.
- Pat dry each breast completely with a paper towel and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- In a shallow plate, whisk together Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside. Add beaten eggs into another shallow plate.
- Dip both sides of each halved chicken breast into the eggs to evenly coat them, and then dip it into the breadcrumb mixture. The breadcrumbs will stick to the egg wash.
- Heat oil in a non stick cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil is sizzling and shimmering. Pan fry the chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Set aside on a plate. The chicken should be almost fully cooked and the internal temperature should reach above 155 F.
Prepare the Sauce:
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the hot oil in the skillet. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes until soft and tender. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, parsley, and salt. Stir well to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn to low heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer sauce into a bowl.
Assemble and Bake:
- In the same skillet, or in another cast-iron skillet or baking dish, evenly spread ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom. Place the chicken breasts spaced evenly apart over the sauce.
- Cover each breast with ¼ cup sauce, and top each breast with a slice of mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 425F for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden brown.
- Serve with spaghetti and garnish with more parsley on top.
Notes
Equipment used: cast-iron skillet or an oven safe skillet (you could also fry the chicken in a regular skillet and then transfer into a casserole dish to bake with the sauce and cheese).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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Christine says
This recipe is so good!! Made it for our granddaughters graduation and had to triple the recipe!! Everyone loved it, many compliments!! The few leftovers were really good as well..I will be making this again soon!! Thanks for sharing 💝
Sharon says
Enjoyed it. I will be cooking this again. Thank you.
LeAnn Rene says
Made this last night for Valentine’s Day and it was so good! We’re novices at cooking and this recipe was super easy to follow. The sauce is delicious and I never realized how easy it is to make your own sauce. My only complaint is that there wasn’t enough of it! Next time we might double the sauce recipe so we have some extra to store. Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
Rachel says
Just made this and WOW - I’m blown away!! I suck at cooking but this was so easy and turned out so well!! The sauce is to die for too!!!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Rachel! So happy you liked the recipe!
Arezu says
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! Recipe was really easy to follow, simple to make, and so juicy and flavourful, a big hit with the whole fam!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Arezu! So happy you all liked the recipe!
Rudy says
Hi, I made this chicken recipe and really enjoyed it. However, I must confess to having made a minor adjustment. I used shredded rather than grated Parmesan cheese. It has been my experience in the past that the grated Parmesan all too often retains and adds a bit of grittiness to a dish instead of the smoother result obtained by using shredded cheese.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Rudy, so happy you liked the recipe! I don't mind grated Parmesan, but thank you for sharing that tip. 🙂