The Best Chicken Parmesan Recipe

This chicken Parmesan recipe is the best ever! The crispy chicken is smothered in a delicious marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese. It’s perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Your family will love it!

How to make The Best Chicken Parmesan:

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9x13pan. Set the pan to the side, and then we’ll work on our chicken.

You’ll need 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts for this, and you want them to be a fairly even thickness.

These aren’t quite there, so cover it with plastic wrap, so it doesn’t splatter, and pound it into an even thickness.

You can always use a rolling pin if you don’t have a meat mallet.

They don’t need to be super thin, but we’ll be ready to coat once they are an even thickness.

It’s time to set up our breading station.

You’ll need 3 shallow bowls. I always like to use pie plates, but bowls work as well.

In the first bowl or dish, you’ll need 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper, and you’ll just give it a quick stir to combine.

In the second dish, you’ll need 2 large eggs, and then use a fork or a whisk to give these a nice little beating.

In the last bowl, you’ll need 1 cup of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and give it a quick stir to combine.

Grab your chicken, and let’s start dipping.

First, coat your chicken with the flour mixture just with a light coating, be sure to tap off any excess flour before coating with the egg mixture, and then finally smother it in those breadcrumbs.

I like to get on as many as possible.

Then we’ll place this onto a wire rack until we’re ready to fry. Repeat this process with all 4 chicken breasts.

Once you have all of your chicken breaded, it’s time to head on over to the stove. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and 1/4 cup of butter.

Once the butter is melted, we can add in our chicken and fry it for 2-3 minutes per side. I’m only frying 2 at a time, so I don’t crowd the pan.

Once they’re browned, transfer them to your prepared 9×13 pan.

Once you have all 4 breasts in the pan, you have a couple of options. In the classic preparation, you’d smother your chicken with marinara sauce to coat.

Now in doing this, you lose that crispy coating. If you want to keep the crispy coating altogether, you can just put on cheese for now and add the sauce later, but today we’ll go somewhere in between. We’ll drizzle just a couple of tablespoons into the center of each chicken breast.

Then place 2 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on top, and spread the sauce a little bit. If you don’t have fresh mozzarella, you could also use shredded.

Bake it in the preheated 450-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you went light on the sauce for baking, you’d want to warm up your marinara so it’s ready to serve when the chicken is done cooking. You can serve this up plain with a salad, or you can serve it over pasta.

Once the chicken is done, I like to sprinkle on about 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. And then, slide it under the broiler setting until it’s bubbly and brown.

Once it’s bubbly and brown, pour over some warmed marinara sauce just down the center, and top with freshly chopped basil, and then you are ready to eat.

The difference between chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana:

Chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana are popular Italian-American dishes that feature breaded and fried chicken, then covered in tomato sauce and cheese.

While the two dishes are very similar, they have some subtle differences.

Chicken parmesan is typically made with a thinner cut, while chicken parmigiana is made with a thicker cut.

In addition, chicken parmigiana is typically baked after being breaded and fried, while chicken parmesan is not. As a result, chicken parmigiana tends to be drier than chicken parmesan.

Finally, chicken parmesan is usually served with spaghetti or pasta, while chicken parmigiana is usually served over a bed of rice.

While both dishes are delicious, these small differences can make a big impact on the final result.

Food historians have different theories on why these two dishes are so similar.

One theory says that the similarity between the two dishes is due to their use of tomatoes. Another theory says that the similarity between the two dishes is due to their use of mozzarella cheese.

What to serve with chicken parmesan:

Chicken parmesan is a great go-to option for weeknight dinners.

You can serve it as is or with various sides, such as pasta, salad, or mashed potatoes. It’s also easy to customize to suit your tastes.

Some people prefer their chicken extra crispy and crunchy, while others prefer it more tender and juicy.

You can serve so many different things with chicken parmesan, so it’s a good idea to think about what would complement your particular dish best.

For example, if you’re serving the chicken as an entree dish, you might want to pair it with something hearty and filling, like macaroni and cheese or spaghetti squash.

If you’re serving the chicken as a side dish, you may want to serve something like sautéed zucchini or roasted Brussels sprouts.

As long as you keep in mind what kind of dish you’re making and what kind of textures you want to achieve (crispy vs. tender), there’s no limit to how many options there are!

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