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Baked Chicken Parmesan is an easy family dinner recipe that everyone will love! This parmesan chicken has a crispy breadcrumb coating that does not get soggy, mozzarella cheese, and jarred marinara sauce. Tips and tricks to getting the crispiest parmesan chicken at home.
My family loves oven baked chicken breasts and I have spent years perfecting a perfectly crispy coating that actually stays on! Try my lemon parmesan chicken and this caesar chicken for more easy dinner recipes with a crispy coating.
Baked Parmesan Chicken Recipe
We love this baked parmesan chicken with it’s crispy coating and it’s a healthier take on traditional parmesan chicken that’s usually fried.
I have a couple secrets that make this the best recipe for making parmesan chicken at home. Plus it’s pretty easy to make with some simply pantry ingredients, jarred marinara sauce, and of course the cheese!
What You’ll Need
You only need a few simple ingredients for this recipe.
- Chicken Breasts – You want to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Salt & Pepper – Seasons the chicken.
- Italian Panko Breadcrumbs
- Plain Panko Breadcrumbs
- Parmesan Cheese – Use the cheap grated parmesan from the can. No need to buy the freshly grated parmesan cheese as it tends to burn in the oven which can leave a bitter taste.
- Basil & Parsley Flakes – Dried Seasonings make this recipe so easy to make! No expensive fresh herbs needed.
- Large Eggs – This is my “secret” to getting coating that actually stays on the chicken while baking. The eggs help the crispy breadcrumb coating adhere to the chicken.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic that you mince or press. Garlic paste from a tube or chopped garlic from a jar.
How To Make Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken
It’s really simple to make this recipe. You will need a baking sheet (aka – cookie sheet) and two shallow bowls or pie plates will work also.
Prepare The Chicken : Trim the chicken breasts as needed and cut in half horizontally. You will end up with two thin chicken pieces per chicken breast. Seasoned with salt & pepper.
Coat The Chicken : In one bowl place all the dry ingredients like the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and seasonings. In another bowl plate the wet ingredients like the eggs and garlic. Mix up the egg mixture with a fork to combine. Take one chicken piece at a time and coat both sides in the egg mixture and then coat both sides in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Bake : Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, and spray the tops of the other side, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Temperature Check : Be sure and check the temperature. If the inside of the chicken is not 165 degrees then you need to let it cook longer.
Chicken Parmesan : Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of pasta sauce over each chicken piece. Top with some shredded cheese. Place the baking sheet back in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Tips For Success
Here are a few of my helpful tips that will make this recipe a hit at your dinner table.
- Cooking Spray – This is the most important tip. You want to spray the tops of the chicken, and again when you turn it over in the oven, to help the coating get really crispy to mimic that traditional deep fried crunch of chicken parmesan.
- Thin Chicken Slices – This is a helpful tip, especially for those with kids, is to cut the chicken breast in half horizontally. This way the chicken cooks quickly and it’s much easier to eat in thin pieces rather than thick pieces. I always slice the chicken pieces for my kids. It’s much easier for kids to eat the thinner slices than a large chunk of chicken.
- Use Jarred Marinara Sauce – This makes it so easy! I buy a jar of tomato & basil pasta sauce and it’s delicious. If you want to get real fancy then try making my homemade spaghetti meat sauce. Extra protein, more meat, and it has a delicious flavor. Plus the extras of the sauce can easily go on the pasta too.
- Shred Your Own Cheese – Shred cheese from a block for best results and flavor. Buy a small block of mozzarella and shred it yourself. it makes such a big difference! It melts smoother and has a creamier, richer texture to it. The shredded bagged cheese has a powder coating to prevent it from clumping, which also prevents it from melting smooth. Of course if you are in a pinch then go ahead and use the shredded cheese or use a slice of mozzarella cheese.
Serving Suggestions For Chicken Parmesan
There are many ways that you can serve this. I like to serve it with a side salad and some garlic bread. We love the organic Caesar salad mix from Costco!
You can also serve the chicken parmesan on top of a bed of noodles. Either plain noodles that you cover in the extra pasta sauce, or make some buttered noodles.
Serve it with some roasted parmesan potatoes on the side or some oven roasted parmesan brussels sprouts.
How To Store Leftovers
Store leftovers of chicken parmesan in an airtight container, in the fridge, for 2-3 days.
Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or you can throw it in the air fryer to crisp it up a bit. Try adding some extra cheese on top of the leftovers to help bring it back to life.
You can also cut the leftover chicken up and use it in a salad.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Baked Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken – Baked chicken but with a creamy topping instead of crispy. So flavorful, moist, and just delicious. My kids request this one often!
- Balsamic Chicken – An easy 4 ingredient marinade that gives so much flavor to this chicken.
- Sheet Pan Baked Chicken & Vegetables – A healthy recipe with chunks of seasoned chicken breast and lots of veggies!
- Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken and Potatoes – Honey + garlic is a perfect match with this sheet pan meal.
Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup plain panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 2 large eggs
- 2 garlic cloves minced, pressed, or from a jar
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup pasta sauce
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Prepare Chicken : Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. You don't have to do this, but eating a thinner chicken breast is always easier, especially for kids, and it cooks faster.This recipe can be made with either 4 chicken breasts or 3, depending on how many servings you want.
- Sprinkle both sides of each chicken piece with salt and pepper.
- In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley. Stir together.
- In another shallow bowl, combine eggs and garlic. Stir together.
- Dip both sides of chicken in egg mixture and then coat it with the breadcrumb mixture. Press the breadcrumbs into the chicken and place on the cookie sheet.
- Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Lightly spray the top of the chicken breasts with cooking spray.
- Cook for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over, lightly spray the tops with cooking spray, and cook for 10 more minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 165°.
- Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of pasta sauce over each chicken and then top with some shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.* You can also broil the chicken if preferred.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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This was my first time cooking with raw chicken, so I was careful and very grateful that this recipe was quick and easy to follow. It was also super yummy! I’ll definitely make it again in the future. Thank you!