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When it comes to Italian cuisine, there are few dishes that can match the comforting flavors of chicken parmesan. Crispy breaded and pan-fried chicken topped with marinara and cheese, baked to perfection for a cheesy golden melted finish. This recipe is very simple and easy to nail on your first attempt.
The secret to perfect chicken parmesan all comes down to how you prepare the chicken. Thinly sliced chicken is going to maximize the crispy coating in every single bite, delivering the perfect ratio of cheese, sauce, breading, and tender chicken. Let’s dive into my entire chicken parmesan process so you can make the best chicken parmesan you’ve ever made!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you also have to try my skillet lasagna and my skillet baked ziti. If you’re looking for a delicious vegetarian Italian classic, try my eggplant parmesan recipe! You can also enjoy this recipe in handheld form with my chicken parmesan calzone.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Thinly sliced chicken breast: you can buy thin-cut chicken cutlets or buy regular chicken and butterfly the pieces so it’s roughly 1/2 inch chick at the thickest point. This is critical for best results!
- Plain breadcrumbs: I use regular/unseasoned breadcrumbs and add parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
- Parmesan cheese: always opt for a block of parmesan and grate it yourself. The flavor is much fresher than pre-grated cheeses.
- Marinara or tomato sauce: I swear by Marcella Hazan’s 3 ingredient tomato sauce for all of my Italian recipes. This is made with canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, butter, onion, and a pinch of salt. The process consists of gently simmering everything together for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are broken down and the sauce has thickened.
- Fresh and shredded mozzarella: you can use low-moisture shredded mozzarella, fresh sliced mozzarella, or a combination of the two. For the most authentic flavor and texture, use fresh mozzarella.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut each piece of chicken in half lengthwise to form thinner slices.
Step 2.
Flatten the chicken to under half an inch using a meat mallet or rolling pin by firmly hitting it with the rolling pin/mallet. This will both tenderize and make the chicken thinner. Covering it with plastic wrap will prevent the chicken from splattering.
Step 3.
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 third 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 the chicken is fully coated. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with all chicken.
Step 4.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken slices two at a time and sauté until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
Step 5.
Let the skillet cool slightly and wipe up excess oil if any. 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 them with the least amount of overlap possible.
Step 6.
Cover with remaining tomato sauce and remaining parmesan cheese. Top each piece of chicken with sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and optional shredded mozzarella. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is fully melted and golden.
Expert Tips
- 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. 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 jarred ones out there. Making your own from scratch is really easy if you follow Marcella Hazan’s recipe. It makes a huge difference in authentic flavor and I swear by it!
More Italian Recipes You’ll Love
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Skillet Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts (or thin cutlets), halved lengthwise and thinned (to make 4 slices)
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 teaspoon water, for egg mixture
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups marinara/tomato sauce
- 8 ounce fresh mozzarella ball
- 1 cup low-moisture shredded mozzarella cheese, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut each piece of chicken in half lengthwise to form 4 thin slices. Flatten the chicken to under half an inch using a meat mallet or rolling pin by firmly hitting it with the rolling pin/mallet. This will both tenderize and make the chicken thinner. Covering it with plastic wrap will prevent the chicken from splattering.
- 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 third 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 the chicken is fully coated. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with all chicken.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken slices two at a time and sauté until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Let the skillet cool slightly and wipe up excess oil if any. 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 them with the least amount of overlap possible.
- Cover with remaining tomato sauce and remaining parmesan cheese. Top each piece of chicken with sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and optional shredded mozzarella.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is fully melted and golden. Note: Thinly sliced chicken will cook very quickly and will likely be 90% cooked prior to baking. Serve immediately topped with fresh basil, extra grated parmesan and a side of pasta if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.