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Easy chicken Parmesan – this quick dinner recipe is totally foolproof. The chicken comes out moist every time! It’s the BEST baked chicken Parmesan recipe we’ve ever had and it’s my husband’s favorite.
This is a tried and true recipe I’ve been making for almost 20 years and I know you’ll love it as much as we do.
The BEST Easy Chicken Parmesan
I’ve been making this baked chicken parm recipe for weeknight dinners for a long time and we love it because it’s totally foolproof.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s baked, not fried, so it has less calories
- It’s never dry! Dry chicken is the worst, which is why I like this easy chicken Parmesan recipe so much.
- Works EVERY time
- Done in just about 30 minutes!
Ingredients in Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Breasts: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. When I can find them, I’ll buy thin sliced so they aren’t as bulky and oddly shaped. If using regular chicken breasts, be sure to cut them so they are uniform in size and thickness (this way they will cook the same). You can also use chicken cutlets.
- Seasonings: You can add some Garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian herbs.
- Breadcrumbs: You can use regular bread crumbs, Italian breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs. I don’t do the double dip with flour and egg to make it a bit healthier. You don’t even need an egg – the breadcrumbs stick just fine to the chicken.
- Parmesan Cheese: I usually just use the grated kind, but you could freshly grate it too.
- Marinara Sauce: Use your favorite jarred sauce or homemade tomato sauce. I love using my homemade marinara sauce!
- Mozzarella Cheese: Shred it yourself for best melting results! Pre-shredded cheese has a coating that makes it not melt as pretty.
How to make Foolproof Chicken Parmesan
- I like to make sure my chicken breasts are uniform in size. Slice each breast in half lengthwise to get equal sized pieces. This ensures they’ll bake evenly.
- Bread the chicken, as it is in traditional chicken parmesan. Mix the breadcrumbs with spices in a shallow bowl or pie plate and dip chicken in the breadcrumb mixture. The breading sticks fine without egg, which reduces a step.
- Bake the breaded chicken at a high temperature, sealing in moisture and baking it quickly, which gives the chicken a crispy crust.
- At the end of baking, right when regular chicken recipes would be getting dry, you pour pasta sauce and sprinkle the cheese over the chicken. The covering of sauce helps the chicken finish cooking yet keeps it nice and juicy.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- Add salt and pepper to taste after cooking. Often pasta sauces have lots of salt, which is why I don’t season the chicken itself.
- Making sure you have evenly sized chicken breasts is really important. Be sure to cut them to be similar size and thickness, or place them in a plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin to even them out.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator or in the freezer (but freezing will make the chicken not as crispy).
- I’ve also made this in the instant pot!
Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Easy Chicken Parmesan – this quick dinner recipe is totally foolproof. The chicken comes out moist every time! It’s the BEST chicken parmesan recipe we’ve ever had.
Recipe Video
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 full breasts)
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs (can reduce to ½ to lower the carbs)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup pasta sauce any flavor
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Pasta for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray a 9×9” pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Depending on the sizes of your chicken breasts, slice each longwise into 4-6 ounce pieces. Place breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish and stir.
- Place each chicken breast into the breadcrumb mixture to thoroughly coat both sides. Place in pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they start to look done and crispy.
- Remove hot pan from the oven and top with pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through. Serve over pasta, if desired. We also like to serve this with just a salad for a lower carb meal.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 683mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 545IU | Vitamin C: 5.6mg | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
What to serve with Chicken Parmesan
- Serve the chicken by itself with a vegetable, like air fryer broccoli or green beans.
- Serve it with extra sauce over spaghetti or zucchini noodles.
- Make a side of breadsticks or dinner rolls for a side dish.
Other Easy Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken is another quick weeknight meal
- Orange Chicken is one of my favorites!
- Chicken Pot Pie
Yummy! Keeping this recipe 😊
This was so easy and SO good! After baking the chicken, I broiled the top for a couple minutes to it crisp up before I added the sauce and cheese. And then again at the end to get the cheese bubbly. The whole family loved this.
WONDERFUL and EASY!!! I brined (salt and water)the chicken breasts for awhile before – makes it soo juicy!!
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