Classic Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Italian food is my “second favorite” cuisine after Tex-Mex, but it’s a very close second. I’m pretty sure I could live on pizza and pasta, with some ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese thrown in. I love creating new recipes and sharing with my family, because food is what brings us together. So here you go, fam. Let’s eat Chicken Parm!

This is a classic recipe that I’ve made several times, but just never wrote it down. You will probably see many others that are similar, because it is a classic. I made my own marinara sauce, but store-bought is just fine as well.

Ingredients needed for Classic Chicken Parmesan:

• Chicken – This recipe calls for three chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half. See pictures below. If you are using extra large chicken breasts, you may want to pound them to make them thinner.
• Flour – Use all-purpose flour.
• Eggs – Just two eggs needed.
• Bread Crumbs – I used Italian bread crumbs, but you could use Panko, or even a combination.
• Parmesan Cheese – For best results, use a block of parmesan cheese, and freshly grate it.
• Seasonings – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Avocado Oil – Avocado Oil works best because of its high smoke point. You could also use canola oil.
• Marinara Sauce – You can use store-bought sauce, or try my homemade version for a healthier spin.
• Cheese – Use either a shredded mozzarella cheese or some ricotta.
• To serve – This classic dish is normally served over spaghetti, but you could serve it over veggies too like zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

How to make Classic Chicken Parmesan:

1. Prep. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking dish with about two cups of marinara sauce. Spread to all sides of dish.
2. Prepare the chicken. Using a cutting board, butterfly the chicken breasts, and then cut in half.
3. Prepare the coating ingredients. In one dish, add the flour. In another dish, add the eggs, and whip with a wire whisk. In a third dish, combine the bread crumbs, freshly grated parmesan cheese, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Coat the chicken. Take one piece of chicken at a time and dip in the flour, coating on both sides. Then dip in the eggs, shaking off excess, and finally, coat in the bread crumb/parm cheese mixture. Repeat for all the chicken, and set aside on a separate plate.
5. Sauté chicken. In a cast iron skillet, add a tablespoon of avocado oil (or canola oil) over medium high heat. Add two pieces of chicken to the pan and cook for a minute or two on each side, or until the chicken is slightly golden brown. Remove chicken to the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
6. Add toppings to chicken. Add a spoonful of marinara sauce to each piece of chicken, followed by either some ricotta cheese or mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake. Bake the chicken parmesan for about 15-17 minutes, or until cooked through. A digital thermometer should read 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken.
8. Serve. Serve the chicken over pasta or veggies of your choice.

Variations to this recipe:

• Use other bread crumbs and/or spices – Use whatever bread crumbs you have, and spice it up to your liking – extra Italian spices or make it spicy with red pepper flakes.
• Skip the baking – You can continue cooking the chicken on the stove top, instead of finishing it in the oven. Just top with some warm marinara and some cheese.
• Add veggies – Instead of pasta, serve this chicken over your choice of veggies – spaghetti squash (our fav!), zucchini noodles, or sautéed mushrooms.

Other delicious pasta recipes for you to enjoy:

• Rigatoni Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli – A simple pasta with a healthy spin.
• Classic Lasagna Roll Ups – Major portion control with these roll ups. And delish!
• Pesto Vegetable Pasta – Meatless pasta, loaded with veggies!

Kitchen Tools used for this recipe: (Affiliate Links)

• Cast Iron Skillet – A must have in your kitchen.
• Food Prep Containers – I use these for food prep plus for recipes like this.

Try this chicken recipe next: Crispy Roasted Whole Chicken

Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue