Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana)

The best chicken parmesan with a deliciously crispy coating, smothered in a rich homemade tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese!

No one likes a soggy chicken parmesan! That’s why we have adapted this recipe to have a crispy coat, even after it’s been drenched in tangy tomato sauce.

THE BEST CHICKEN PARMESAN RECIPE

Chicken Parmesan, better known in some places as Chicken Parmigiana, is one of the most loved, most popular and most ordered chicken recipes in the world. But often when cooking it at home, it can come out too dry or doesn’t have enough flavour or seasoning. The sauce is bland, or cheddar cheese is used instead of mozzarella, etc.

With our recipe, you won’t have to worry about any of that! According to many of our readers, this chicken recipe has been crowned the crispiest and tastiest they’ve ever tried. We wanted our chicken parmesan to be just as juicy as our creamy French mustard chicken and our creamy dijon chicken (but without all of the sauce) while still retaining its crispy exterior.

That’s why we have taken the time to perfect our parmesan crusted chicken so that your chicken is simultaneously crunchy and juicy, first time round.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN

Compared to our easy Cajun butter chicken breasts and our juicy oven baked chicken breast, this recipe may have more steps but we promise – they are all worth it:

• Breading
• Frying
• Sauce-ing
• Cheese-ing
• Baking

Each step is guaranteed to give you the best possible outcome and the juiciest chicken dinner you will never forget.

THE CRISPY COATING

To pack as much flavour into the coating as possible, the breading is made up of a combination of four ingredients:

• Panko —  a Japanese breadcrumb found in any supermarket or grocery store, usually in Asian isles. Dryer than regular breadcrumbs, they absorb less oil producing a crispy and crunchier crumb!
• Breadcrumbs — Italian seasoned, golden or whatever you have on hand.
• Parmesan cheese (or Provolone)
• Garlic (or onion) powder.

CHICKEN PARMESAN SAUCE

In order to give your tastebuds the ultimate flavour experience, I have provided a homemade tomato sauce recipe to pour over your finished chicken parmesan. You are more than welcome to use store bought pasta sauce, marinara sauce or tomato sauce (U.S readers).

CHICKEN PARMESAN VS CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

There are some variations to the traditional recipe depending on the type of restaurant you’re ordering from. Some restaurants layer toppings with ham or bacon, or switch mozzarella to cheddar (not our favourite), but they are all essentially the same.

Australians know Chicken Parmigiana (Pollo alla parmigiana in Italian) as Parm, Parma, or Parmi.

Before there was chicken parmesan, there was eggplant parmesan. Eggplant slices are breaded, fried and layered with sauce and parmesan cheese. This is a great option for vegetarians or anyone cutting back on calories.

When running out of options on what to feed your family…look no further than these crispy succulent chicken breasts with so much melty cheesy!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN PARMESAN

• Pasta — thin spaghetti, angel hair pasta, fettuccini.
• Sautéed green beans.
• Mashed potatoes.
• Zucchini noodles or cauliflower mash for a lighter option.
• Garlic Mushrooms

Looking for a low carb version? Try this Low Carb Chicken Parmesan with crispy keto coating, or the Easy Mozzarella Chicken Recipe for a seasoned, not breaded, option!

CRISPY CHICKEN PARMESAN NOW ON VIDEO!

Crispy Chicken Parmesan

Author: Karina

The Best Chicken Parmesan with a deliciously crispy breadcrumb coating, smothered in a rich homemade tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese!

5 from 189 votes

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Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients

USMetric

For The Chicken:

• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt to season
• ▢ 3 large chicken breasts halved horizontally to make 6 fillets
• ▢ 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ ½ cup breadcrumbs Italian or golden
• ▢ ½ cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ cup olive oil for frying

For The Sauce:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 large onion chopped
• ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• ▢ 14 ounces tomato puree Passata
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar optional

For The Topping:

• ▢ 8 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced or shredded
• ▢ ⅓ cup parmesan cheese fresh shredded
• ▢ 2 tablespoons basil or parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions

For The Chicken:

• Whisk together eggs, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Add chicken into the egg, rotating to evenly coat each fillet in the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes (or overnight night if time allows for a deeper flavour).
• When chicken is ready for cooking, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder together in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken into the breadcrumb mixture to evenly coat.
• Preheat oven 430°F | 220°C. Lightly grease an oven tray (or baking dish) with non stick cooking oil spray; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Fry chicken until golden and crispy, (about 4-5 minutes each side).
• Place chicken on prepared baking tray / dish and top each breast with about ⅓ cup of sauce (sauce recipe below). Top each chicken breast with 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese and about 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with basil or parsley. 
  
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and melted, and the chicken is completely cooked through.

For The Sauce:

• Heat oil in a medium-sized pot. Fry onion until transparent (about 3 minutes), then add the garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
• Add the tomato puree, salt and pepper to taste, Italian herbs and sugar (If using). Cover with lid to simmer for about 8 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.
  

Notes

Tips: For this recipe, we use both chicken thighs and breasts.

Serve with pasta, mashed potato, a salad, steamed veggies, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice for the perfect meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 969mg | Potassium: 880mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 438mg | Iron: 4mg

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