Patty made me chicken Parmesan on our fourth date on a cold January night, almost three years ago. It was the first meal she ever cooked for me. EVER. Wild right? Now, I know what you’re thinking. Bold move making Shawn, the world famous food blogger, chicken parm on date number four. If only she knew. If only I KNEW. Kitchen Swagger wasn’t even a thought at that point. Dinner was delicious, she won me over.
With winter just around the corner, it’s time to pull out those warm hearty Italian dishes. Chicken Parmesan is one of those recipes that’s tricky to make because everyone knows how good chicken Parmesan should taste. Just like the national anthem. You’ve heard it 10,000,000 times and when someone butchers it? Ouch.
Every time I go to the North End in Boston (Italian food paradise), I have the same internal struggle. I tell myself I’m going to branch out and not get chicken parm because I always get it. Then I cave and end up ordering it because nothing compares. So, after all these years I’ve paid very close attention to what makes the perfect chicken parmesan.
Tips For Making the Best Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan is actually very easy to make, and this recipe is no exception. You just need to follow the right techniques for success.
- Chicken parmesan should be made with thinly sliced chicken. You’ll notice nice Italian restaurants always serve large, thinly sliced servings of chicken Parmesan. If your chicken is thicker than half an inch, the crispy crust is lost, it’s too chewy, and there’s too much chicken in each bite.
- Always mix Parmesan cheese in with the breadcrumbs. They don’t call it chicken Parmesan for nothing. Top with extra parmesan cheese and plenty of fresh mozzarella cheese before baking. You want a solid layer of melted cheese to nearly cover each piece of crispy chicken.
- Always sauté/crisp the chicken in olive oil. No substitutes here. Olive oil will add tremendous flavor to the crust and will help give your chicken parm that much desired crispy crunch. Nothing compares. This goes hand and hand with thin chicken.
- Use a nice marinara sauce. There are plenty of good ones out there, just keep it simple and don’t go too heavy on the sauce.
I managed to make this recipe (of four servings) in one 12 inch cast iron skillet. First, I sauté the breaded chicken in olive oil, and then use the same cast iron skillet for baking. One less dish to clean up in an already dish-heavy recipe. Cast iron wins again!
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PinIngredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise (to make 4 slices)
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 cup, plus 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 8 ounce fresh mozzarella ball, sliced (or shredded if you prefer)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Cut each piece of chicken in half lengthwise to form 4 thin slices. Using a rolling pin, flatten chicken to under half an inch by firmly hitting.
- Combine bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs on a plate and set aside. In a shallow bowl, whisk water and eggs and set aside. Spread the flour on a plate and set aside.
- Coat the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Dip in egg mixture and then coat in bread crumbs, making sure the crumbs adhere and chicken is fully coated. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken slices two at time and sauté until golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove all 4 slices and set on a plate.
- Add 1/2 a cup of tomato sauce to the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Return all four pieces of chicken to the cast iron skillet and arrange with the least amount of overlap possible.
- Cover with remaining sauce, remaining Parmesan cheese, and top each piece of chicken with two slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with basil and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve Immediately with a side of pasta if desired.
Aww would it still be due able without a cast iiron skillet ??
Yes – you can use a regular pan and a baking dish. Just follow the recipe otherwise.
I have to double the recipe and don’t have a big enough cast iron skillet. Can I use a 9×13 glass dish?
Sure – the method will be a little different but ultimately you can achieve the same thing. You can cook chicken in the skillet in batches and transfer to the baking dish.
OMG….ANOTHER HOME RUN!
This is the second recipe that I have made, of yours. THE FAMILY LOVES IT!
(I have 4 picky daughters….and this chicken Parmesan pleased them ALL)
Both are PHENOMINAL!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!
★★★★★
Frikking great recipe Shawn! LOVE it! Made for my wife tonight, big hit. So easy, yet the taste is just killer. FYI, used a non-stick skillet (Calphalon) which is oven safe and no problem at all – clean up even easier. I’m sharing this with everyone I know. 5 stars easily.
★★★★★
Thanks, John glad this was a winner for you.
So I was just talking to my co-worker about this recipe, and told her about boiling my chicken first, and she said “Wait, you cook your chicken first, then cook it again?”. I said yes, I thought I was supposed to. Well, after looking at the recipe again, I notice it does not say “cooked” chicken breasts, so I guess I am NOT supposed to cook my chicken first? lol
Well, I’ve made this two times, both times using COOKED chicken breasts (boiled) and it has turned out perfect both times. So I guess if someone is worried about undercooked chicken, they can boil it before hand like I did…;-)
P.S. My hubby has asked that I make this once a week!
★★★★★
Yes, no boiling necessary. It may make it too chewy. If your chicken is thin enough there should be no issues with it cooking through.
Hi- this looks amazing. Is it possible to buy and use chicken cutlets instead of pounding breasts?
As long as they are thin. Sometimes you can buy thinly sliced chicken breasts. Look for those, Annie.
Made this for our Sunday dinner, and it was wonderful! My husband kept bragging about it, wants me to make it again soon! I used my bigger iron skillet and used more chicken, enough to serve 5 of us! I was afraid the amount of sauce the recipe called for wasn’t enough, so I added more. The preparation time is a little more than what I normally like to do (which isn’t much), but well worth it! Excellent!
★★★★★
Thanks for the note Kelly. Glad you found me and glad it came out well.
I made this the other night I had a question and they even answered before I started. What a nice thing. The chicken was so good even better then our best Italian diner.
Thank you
Going to make this tonight.
Two questions
Just a can of tomato sauce?
What fresh herbs in the bread crumbs ?
Thank you
Yes, you can use any store bough tomato or pasta sauce. Fresh basil is my favorite.
I love this simple recipe, however, I want to warn that cooking tomato sauce in cast iron, unless your cookware is well seasoned, could ruin your pan.
My cast iron pans are well seasoned, so I can do it for the 30 minute cooking time, but others be careful!
🙂 Stacey
★★★★★
I dont know what’s hotter – you, or your chicken parm recipe. Keep cooking!
Well I mean my chicken parm is pretty hot.
Can’t wait to try this recipe in Grandmother’s 100 year old iron skillet. Looks so good. Thanks for sharing.
Perfect! Love the old skillets. Cast iron is phenomenal.
Im literally eating this as I speak. This was an amazing recipe and I’m so glad you decided to share it(:
Can I melt the cheese on the stove instead of putting it in an oven? I’m not the biggest fan of ovens.
I can’t say you will get similar results so I can’t make any promises. An oven is a critical part to chicken Parmesan as it cooks the chicken through and also melts the cheese.
Ok, thank you.
Made this recipe tonight and it is definetely one I will make again. Followed the recipe except I used sliced mozzarella. Really delicious.
Excellent – nothing quite like freshed sliced mozzarella ??
As promised day three your chicken parm! It didn’t disappoint, my boyfriend loved it as well and wanted to know the secret ingredient in the breading! His all time favorite of course, parmesan cheese! I’m loving all these skillet one pan stove top to oven recipes. This was prepped and in the oven cooking in no time. Delicious! Going to scout out my next dinner. I’m hoping I find a skillet baked smores desert dish ..hint.hint.. I had one out once and it was amazing , but wouldn’t know where to begin.
★★★★★
Ohhhhhhhh I love the idea of s’mores dip. Stay tuned – I’m working on this along with a few other skillet desserts.
Do you use “real” parmesan cheese & grate it, or use the grated cheese in the green bottle ?
I usually buy shaved Parmesan cheese. I think the green bottle tends to be too fine. Grating your own is always best option if you have time.
Chicken parm is one of my favorites. This did not disappoint!! Thanks for sharing!
Can I use a non-stick skillet instead of cast iron? Thanks!
Hi Jenn – you can’t put non stick in the oven I believe so best to use something that is oven and stove top safe. I would double check.
This recipe is AMAZING! I received my first ever cast iron skillet for Christmas(!) and this was the first recipe I used to break it in the for the first time and it did not disappoint!! My hubby said it tasted better than Olive Garden’s chicken parmesan 🙂 Two thumbs up!!
One pointer from a new cast iron skillet owner, let the skillet cool down a bit before adding the tomato sauce! I had sauce/oil spritzing EVERYWHERE from the contact of room temperature sauce to a hot skillet. Lesson learned 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks Daphne – I love my cast iron skillet…I use it almost exclusively now. Good point on the sauce, I will make a note of this. Glad it worked out well for you!
I look forward to trying this recipe!
Does ‘tomato sauce’ mean a can of plain tomato sauce?
Any canned or homemade pasta sauce should do. Sorry I should specify.
Made this twice now. First time I forgot the mozzarella. ? Didn’t even know until I put things back into the fridge and the cheese was staring right at me. It was still great but I wanted to cook it like the recipe read. So I made it again yesterday. Best ever!!!!! Family loved it.
★★★★★
AH! I know that feeling far too well. I would have had to make it again too. Glad everyone liked it!
I used Newmans Own Sockarooni sauce, added dried minced onion, rosemary, and garlic to the bread crumbs. I didn’t have eggs so I just used milk. Added parsley as a garnish. Hubby said it was one of my best dishes!! Score one for me! Thanks!
That’s some serious swag. Like the rosemary addition – sounds delicious ??
Thanks!! I can’t wait to make it again. I’ll have to warn the family before using the roller tho! Lol
Made this recipe over the weekend and oh man it was delicious! I have never come across an easier recipe for chicken parm than this. Great suggestions including using the rolling pin and cast iron pans. The only thing I did differently was use shredded cheese instead of slicing the ball. This one is going in my frequently used recipe book now ama will be made quite often!
★★★★★
Thanks Mike – glad you liked it. I go back and fourth on the cheese. I actually used both in this picture. Try the fresh next time and see what you think!
jai hate desseiller vos recettes
★★★★★
Made this for dinner tonight it was a hit with my family,mthey loved it.
Made this tonight, turned out great. Next time I would add a bit of garlic and parsley. Substituted italian seasoning and oregano for the basil. Will definately make again.
★★★★★