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Chicken Parmesan is a classic Italian dish and one of my absolute favorites. I love how easy and delicious it is—tender chicken coated in a crispy crust, then layered with savory sauce and plenty of gooey cheese. To me, it’s comfort food at its best! I make it for both easy weeknight dinners and for special occasions, and it always feels like such a treat.
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“We loved this dish. Very easy to make and we will be having this quite a bit.
Thanks!” -Renee
Easy Crispy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Chicken Parmesan is one of my all-time favorite dishes. It’s crispy, cheesy, and delicious! I’ve made plenty of recipes inspired by this classic Italian dish, but this one is the real deal. I’ve taken breaded chicken breasts cooked in marinara sauce and topped them with mozzarella cheese, then served them over a plate of spaghetti. It’s heaven on a plate!
This recipe is so good and filling, delivering perfect crispy chicken Parmesan, just the way I like it. If you’re looking for a nice but easy Italian dinner, this is the dish for you!
Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts butterflied
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- 8 oz. mozzarella cheese sliced
- spaghetti and crusty bread for serving
- 26 oz. 1 jar marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise (butterfly), creating 4 chicken cutlets.2 large chicken breasts
- Place chicken on a smooth flat surface between two layers of plastic wrap and pound to even thickness, about ¼-½-inch.
- Season each chicken cutlet with salt and pepper on both sides.salt and pepper
- Whisk two eggs in a small shallow bowl, and mix the breadcrumbs, panko, and ¾ cup Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl.2 eggs, ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Heat olive oil in a large oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.¼ cup olive oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic
- Dredge the chicken in eggs and then in the Parmesan mixture. Add each cutlet to the oil/garlic mixture, leaving a bit of space in between.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until chicken is almost completely cooked through. Add more olive oil if needed. Remove chicken and turn off heat.
- Add half the jar of sauce to the bottom of the skillet, stirring to add in the brown bits and garlic.26 oz. 1 jar marinara sauce
- Add the chicken back into the skillet, on top of the sauce. Top with an additional spoonful of sauce per chicken, and then top with 2 slices of cheese per breast, the remaining grated Parmesan, and sliced basil.2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, 8 oz. mozzarella cheese
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and beginning to bubble.
- Serve over spaghetti and enjoy!spaghetti and crusty bread for serving
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Crispy Chicken Parmesan Step by Step
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the chicken: Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise (butterfly), so you get 4 chicken cutlets. Place the cutlets on a smooth flat surface between two layers of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness, about ¼-½ inch.
Season both sides of each chicken cutlet with salt and pepper.
Make the breading: Whisk 2 eggs in a small shallow bowl, and then in a separate bowl, stir in ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, and 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Parcook the chicken: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Dredge the cutlets in the eggs and then in the Parmesan mixture. Add each cutlet to the oil/garlic mixture, leaving a bit of space in between.
Cook the cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side, or until they are almost completely cooked through. Add more olive oil if needed. Remove chicken. Turn off the heat.
Pour half of a 26 oz. jar of marinara sauce on the bottom of the skillet, stirring to add in the brown bits and garlic.
Place the chicken on top of the sauce and top with another spoonful. Then, top with 2 slices of cheese per chicken, the remaining grated Parmesan, and sliced basil.
Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and beginning to bubble
Serve: Serve over spaghetti and enjoy!
How to Store
To make this chicken ahead of time, prep the chicken, bread it, and cook it in the skillet. Cover the skillet with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to serve it, pop it in the oven along with the sauce and cheese to reheat and crisp it up.
To freeze leftover chicken Parmesan, wrap the chicken breasts in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or store them in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
When I make chicken Parmesan, I love turning it into a full, cozy meal. I usually pair it with a crispy kale salad for some freshness and crunch, then add a side of warm, homemade garlic bread to soak up all that extra sauce and cheese. And of course, I can’t resist finishing the night with something sweet—like a comforting blueberry crisp fresh from the oven.
We loved this dish. Very easy to make, & we will be having this quite a bit.
Thanks
I was all set to try this recipe, but the page kept jumping around so much I couldn’t even write down the ingredients without having to scroll up and down trying to find the ingredients. By the time I finally finished that and moved on to the instructions it was even worse. I finally gave up and will not be making this. Just thought you should know that it’s very frustrating and not worth the effort. If you have a tech person, please let them know so maybe they can fix it.
We’re sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the page! If you click on the “print” icon on the recipe card, it will open up the entire recipe in a new, static tab so that doesn’t continue to happen!
I just read the ingredients and steps lickity split! On my phone no less! Sounds like it may of been the person operating the tech—not tech itself.🤪🤪
So, let me get this straight…
You chose to give this amazing recipe just 2 STARS based entirely on an error that YOU MADE!
You purchased/used a pre~made sauce that you had never used/tried and your dish turned out less than you’d hoped because of it. That was solely due to YOUR poor choice, NOT a less than excellent recipe. Your poor decision(s) should have ZERO relevance when rating a recipe, it should NOT AFFECT THE STAR RATING IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that things didn’t turn out as well as they “should” have IF YOU WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY DONE YOUR PART and followed the DIRECTIONS (I say “should” because I have NO IDEA whether you know the first thing about cooking and creating in the kitchen).
This recipe is so tasty and delicious! Some family members do not like chicken breasts but they ask for me to make this!!! Thanks for sharing ! 😃
Just wondering why the recipe title is tagged as “stovetop” when you have to “finish” it in the oven. Rather misleading. I have not tried it as yet so really cannot rate it. Have to make it to the grocery to pick up a few items first and currently it is snowing and I’m not venturing out in it. From other reviewers it does sound quite tasty.
It goes in the oven to brown the cheese. Totally optional, though! You could just leave it on the stovetop until the cheese melts.
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve made it several times and it always turns out great! The only thing I do different is dip the chicken in seasoned flour before the egg and bread crumbs..not really sure why..I think I’ve been told it helps the egg stick? Also, jarred sauce is not allowed in my house, so we use homemade. I always keep a huge batch of it in the freezer, so on a busy week night, it’s as easy as using jarred. This is my go-to chicken parm recipe!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Lauren!
This is fabulous! Has quickly become a family favorite! Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing, Regina!
Let me just say, this was my first time making this on my own by myself with extremely low to barely any cooking experience. It was delicious, and I didn’t make it with any spaghetti. Bread sticks and mixed vegetables instead. In any case, as a new “chef” I would like to give some feedback on what frustrations I ran into.
1. Please, list the amounts of each ingredient, that’s listed in the ingredients list, into the step indicating the use of such ingredients. This will lessen some people’s frustration of having to go back and forth between the ingredients list and the directions.
2. PLEASE SEPARATE step 5 into two separate steps, or move “in a separate low dish” to the beginning of the second part indicating to mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. In the heat of the moment, I got really frustrated because I wasted two eggs and bread crumbs by mixing the two after whisking the eggs. I had to use two more eggs and more bad crumbs to correct the mistake.
You are a great source of inspiration darling!!!!
Thank you!!
This was absolutely delicious. Will most definitely be making again!
Thanks, Crystal! I’m glad you love it!