This Baked Chicken Parmesan comes together easily and is a great comforting dinner.
In the quest to find easy delicious dinners for you, I have another winner! This delicious and easy to throw together Baked Chicken Parmesan is perfect for a weeknight meal.
One of my picky eaters looked at this dinner like the ultimate skeptic she is. And then she proceeded to devour it. She was looking over my shoulder as I edited photos and said, “Oh that was YUMMY!” The ultimate seal of approval.
You will love skipping the frying of the chicken, and you will still be impressed with the deep flavor and moist chicken. This is a perfect family dinner meal; one that everyone will love.
I made it last night with ravioli and air fried summer squash. My kids NEVER eat what I cook. They ate every bite! This was a superb chicken parm recipe. ❤
How to Make Baked Chicken Parmesan
While a lot of chicken parmesan recipes require some pan frying, we are skipping that step all together and putting the chicken right in the oven.
- Butterfly the chicken. Chicken breasts come so big these days, that rather than pounding them thin, I prefer to butterfly open two chicken breasts to make four cutlets. (You can see this in photos below.
- Salt and pepper the chicken. Lightly season the chicken cutlets before breading.
- Prepare the breading ingredients. Add flour to a plate. Whisk together eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Whisk together breadcrumbs with cheese and seasonings.
- Bread the chicken. Dip the chicken in the flour, then the eggs, and then the bread crumbs. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray.
- Bake the chicken. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes, remove the chicken top with spaghetti sauce and cheese and place it under the broiler.
How to Cut Chicken into Cutlets
As mentioned above, we are cutting out the step of pounding the chicken thin by cutting the chicken into cutlets. If you would like to skip this step you can buy chicken cutlets right from the meat counter.
Start by placing your hand on top of the chicken breast and using a sharp knife, slice through the chicken. You can see this in action in the video.
If after you butterfly your chicken, you find that there are still parts that are too thick (over half an inch thick), place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound it so the entire piece is half inch thickness.
How to Bread Chicken
We use all purpose flour to lightly coat our chicken. The flour sticks to the wet chicken and helps the egg wash stick in the next step.
Now the floured chicken goes into an egg bath made of whisked eggs and milk. The egg mixture is what will keep the breadcrumbs on in the following step.
Finally we take the chicken from the egg wash to the seasoned bread crumbs. If you desire, you can do one dip of breadcrumbs, return to the egg bath, and then a second dip in the breadcrumbs for a really thick breading.
How to Season Breadcrumbs
I decided to forgo using Italian Bread Crumbs for this recipe. I opted to use regular breadcrumbs and then season them to make sure that regardless of what you can find at the store, you can make this.
That being said, you could use Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs, add in some parmesan cheese, and you will be all set.
Cooking Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken
After breading the chicken, it is ready to cook in the oven. I love that we skip pan frying it. The breadng still turns out delicious and crisp and we avoid the calories, time, and smell of frying.
Bake the chicken and then remove from the oven to top with a small amount of spaghetti sauce and some cheese. Return to the oven under the broiler.
Using a Meat Thermometer
Just like in my Pork Chop recipe, I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer. I have one that can stay in the meat in the oven, so I can pull it out at the exact right temperature.
Pull out your chicken when it hits about 160. Top it with sauce and cheese and put it under the broiler. It should come to the right temperature around the same time the cheese is ready.
This is the thermometer I have and love, but there are a lot of great options on the market.
FAQ
Yes. I would suggest that you go through the breading process and then place these on a plate, cover them and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Then proceed with baking when you are ready to eat them.
Yes. Make them through breading. Then place them on a wax paper lined plate. Freeze them for 4 hours. Then carefully transfer them to an airtight container. When you are ready to make them, they can be baked from frozen at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I will tell you that this aren’t quite as good reheated as they are when they are first made. To reheat them, place them in a covered baking dish and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Yes! Replace the breadcrumbs in this recipe with ground pork rinds for a keto friendly version.
What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan
I love serving this with spaghetti, but if you are looking for a lighter meal, you could just serve with with some vegetables. Here are a few great options.
If you make this easy baked chicken parmesan or any of my other recipes, I would love to know! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half (butterfly style), and pounded 1/2 inch thick if necessary
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- cooking spray
- 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce (store bought or homemade)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half, butterfly style (see photos in the post for more details). If any part of the chicken is stil more than half an inch thick, pound them thin by placing the chicken between plastic wrap and using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Pound to 1/2 inch thickness.
- Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts on both sides.
- Add the flour to a plate. Whisk the eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Add the breadcrumbs to a shallow dish and stir in the parmesan cheese, basil, garlic powder, and oregano.
- Dip the chicken breasts in the flour, then the eggs, and then the seasoned bread crumbs. Place on the prepared pan. Repeat with all of the chicken.
- Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees with an instant read thermometor.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, add a small amount of spaghetti sauce (about a tablespoon and a half) to the top of each piece of chicken, top with shredded mozzarella, and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes or until the cheese begins to very lightly brown.
Lori says
Can you use chicken thighs?
I have not tested this recipe with chicken thighs. I’m sure it would work, though the cooking times might need to be different, especially because chicken thighs are hart to cut into cutlets.