What’s a meal plan without chicken parmesan included sometimes? This traditional Italian dish has become wildly popular outside of Italy, and for good reason. It’s relatively affordable to make, and you don’t need to know a lot of cooking techniques to perfect it. It’s simple and straightforward, and you can learn how to make it on your own using this guide.
What is Chicken Parmesan?
More formally known as chicken parmigiana, chicken parmesan is a breaded chicken breast topped with tomato sauce and cheese—usually mozzarella, although some people opt for fresh parmesan, provolone, or other cheeses.
Chicken parmesan originated in Italy but has essentially become a staple in American households and restaurants, especially those that enjoy traditional Italian food. Although the dish has become more streamlined in America in favor of quickness and simplicity, authentic Italian chicken parmesan is usually made with homemade tomato sauce and cheeses.
It’s not certain where the name “chicken parmesan” came from, seeing as how the dish is usually made with mozzarella cheese, although some people prefer sprinkling some grated parmesan cheese on top. However, theories suggest that its name comes from Parma, the city where it likely originated.
Tips for Making Chicken Parmesan
The following tips can help you make stand-out chicken parmesan every time:
- Getting breading to stick to chicken parmesan: The key to making breading stick to chicken parmesan is to use a dredging process. Start by dipping the chicken in flour, then in an egg bath, followed by the breading. Use your fingertips to press the breading into the chicken, ensuring that the breading covers the chicken on both sides.
- Preventing chicken parmesan from getting soggy: It’s best to cook chicken parmesan first before adding too much sauce to prevent the breading from getting soggy. If your chicken cooks in the sauce, the sauce soaks into the breading, preventing the chicken from crisping in the oven.
- Making chicken parmesan more flavorful: Chicken parmesan can be bland if you don’t season it well enough. Adding seasonings to the sauce and the breading mixture can take the flavor of chicken parmesan to the next level. Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and your other favorite seasonings to the sauce and breading mixture for a flavor boost.
- Cooking temperature for chicken parmesan: Chicken should always cook to a temperature of 165℉. Place the probe of a thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken to check that it’s fully cooked. Once it reaches this temperature, let the chicken rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes.
Do I Have to Pound the Chicken Breast When Making Chicken Parmesan?
You can certainly make chicken parmesan without flattening the chicken breast. However, chicken breasts can be quite thick in the middle, causing them to cook unevenly if they aren’t sliced thinner and pounded out to flatten them. We recommend pounding chicken breasts to help them cook more evenly.
Start by butterflying your chicken breast by slicing it in half starting from one side and gliding the knife over to the other side. Open the halves to separate them, and use a meat mallet to carefully pound out the chicken until it becomes thinner. Ultimately, you want the chicken to be about ½ inches thick or less.
If you don’t want to butterfly and thin out your chicken breast, cut a 1-inch slice in the thickest part of each breast to help the heat distribute through the middle.
Can Chicken Parmesan Be Made Ahead?
You can make different components of chicken parmesan ahead to make it easier to put together when you’re ready to put it on the table. For instance, you can cook the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. You can also shred the cheese ahead of time.
Breading the chicken ahead of time is also possible, although we recommend saving the cooking until you’re ready to eat. Bread the chicken as usual, and lay each breaded piece flat on a tray. Cover the tray tightly with aluminum foil to store in the refrigerator. Breaded chicken is good for up to one day in the refrigerator, so be sure to only use this method if you plan to cook the chicken the following day.
Is There a Healthier Version of Chicken Parmesan?
Yes! Depending on your nutrition goals, you can make a few changes to traditional chicken parmesan to make it healthier for you.
For example, jarred and canned tomato sauce tend to be high in sodium unless you specifically look for low-sodium versions. Instead, create your own tomato sauce to top chicken parmesan, which will cut down on the sodium content. If you want a low-carb version, skip breading the chicken and opt for grilled chicken instead. You can also swap regular pasta for zucchini pasta to reduce carbs. Or, if reducing fat is your goal, use low-fat cheese, like part-skim mozzarella.
Chicken Parmesan Recipe
This chicken parmesan recipe is classic, quick, and simple. Get ready to have dinner on the table in less than an hour.
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
Chicken
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella, sliced into 8 parts
Optional, for serving
- Additional sauce
- Cooked pasta
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the diced yellow onion, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until onion begins to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, onion powder, and black pepper. Bring to a low boil. Then, turn down the heat to let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add a wire rack to a baking dish.
- Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breast halves to a ½-inch thickness.
- Set up a dredging area for the chicken. In separate bowls, add the eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs. To the breadcrumbs, add salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese. Mix together.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry. One at a time, cover the chicken breasts in flour, then dip them in the egg, then cover them in the seasoned breadcrumb mixture, ensuring they’re covered on both sides.
- Preheat a skillet with olive oil. Brown the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer them to the prepared baking dish and wire rack.
- Spoon sauce along the top of each chicken breast. Then, add two slices of mozzarella on top of each piece.
- Transfer the dish to the oven to cook for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese browns and the chicken reads 165 degrees.
- If desired, serve on top of pasta with some extra sauce drizzled on top.
What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan
Chicken parmesan is most frequently served with pasta, like angel hair, linguine, or spaghetti, or garlic bread. You can also opt for a healthier version by skipping the pasta and serving chicken parmesan with a hearty salad, roasted vegetables, or zucchini noodles.
Conclusion: Your Guide to Cooking Chicken Parmesan
Try this recipe with our boneless chicken breasts to get a restaurant-quality chicken dish right in your kitchen. Order conveniently online and have your order shipped vacuum-sealed and flash-frozen to your door in a few days. Also, check out Steak University for additional cooking guides and recipes.
Classic Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
For the Chicken:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz mozzarella, sliced into 8 parts
Optional, for serving:
- additional sauce
- cooked pasta
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the diced yellow onion, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until onion begins to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, onion powder, and black pepper. Bring to a low boil. Then, turn down the heat to let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add a wire rack to a baking dish.
- Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breast halves to a ½-inch thickness.
- Set up a dredging area for the chicken. In separate bowls, add the eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs. To the breadcrumbs, add salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese. Mix together.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry. One at a time, cover the chicken breasts in flour, then dip them in the egg, then cover them in the seasoned breadcrumb mixture, ensuring they’re covered on both sides.
- Preheat a skillet with olive oil. Brown the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer them to the prepared baking dish and wire rack.
- Spoon sauce along the top of each chicken breast. Then, add two slices of mozzarella on top of each piece.
- Transfer the dish to the oven to cook for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese browns and the chicken reads 165 degrees.
- If desired, serve on top of pasta with some extra sauce drizzled on top.