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I don’t remember the last time I made dinner and both of my kids asked for second helpings… Well, actually yes I do, it was my baked chicken parmesan. They can’t get enough of it, and Michael and I love it too, so it’s a no-brainer dinner in our house.
😍 Why You’ll Love My Baked Chicken Parmesan
We all love chicken parm, but we don’t all love how heavy it is, and how time consuming, and how messy it is to make.
That sounded like a challenge to me, so here’s my take on the classic: no splattering oil, no heavy batter and greasy plates…. Just all the taste you love from a classic chicken parm. I even use Rao’s marinara sauce if I don’t have any of my homemade sauce on hand, so trust me when I say that this is a quick and easy, satisfying dish that you won’t hate making. And if your family are anything like mine, you’ll be making it a lot.
🗒️ Ingredients
Chicken Breasts – Chicken breasts are a tender and juicy, low fat cut of meat, perfect for a healthy baked parm!
Olive Oil – Olive oil has a beautiful flavor but it also has a higher smoke point than other oils, making it perfect for baking.
Parmesan – Parmesan is strong, nutty and melts beautifully to create a delicious coating on our chicken breasts.
Mozzarella – Mozzarella is mild and has a distinct gooey quality when it melts, which makes for a stringy, delicious addition ontop of the marinara sauce.
Marinara Sauce – homemade or store-bought, marinara sauce is vibrant, rich and tomatoey, which balances the richness of the rich cheeses.
Garlic Powder – It’s that rich and savory taste without the need for fresh garlic. It also means we’re not introducing more moisture to this dish which will keep us from achieving that super crispy texture.
Oregano – It’s earthy and aromatic and adds depth to these flavors.
Panko Bread Crumbs – What makes Panko different? Panko is made from crustless bread and has a larger, flakier consistency which makes for a crispier coating when baked or fried – traditional bread crumbs will work, but for that extra crunch, look for panko!
👩🍳 How to Make Baked Chicken Parmesan
⏳ Remove the chicken breasts from the refrigerator an hour before you plan to start cooking.
📖 Immediately slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise so it opens like a book, and slice into two pieces. You will have 8 pieces of chicken.
🥣 Pat the chicken breasts dry and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and leave them to sit at room temperature for one hour.
🔥 When the hour is up, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. When your oven is preheated, line a baking sheet with foil then place a wire rack on top and spray with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray.
🧀 In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese.
✋🏻 Dredge the chicken breasts by dipping each chicken cutlet into the breadcrumb mixture and fully coating the entire cutlet.
⏲️ Place your coated chicken cutlets on the wire rack. Spray the top of the chicken cutlets with olive oil or vegetable oil spray, whatever you have. Place in the oven and bake for 20-24 minutes.
🥄 Remove from the oven and spoon 1 tablespoon of marinara over the top of each cutlet. Now top with 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella per cutlet. Bake 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
🥖 Serve with a green salad and crusty bread, or with pasta.
🎉 Enjoy!
💡Want Crispy Chicken? Here’s How:
Prepare to give the chicken an hour at room temperature before cooking (you’ll see this in the instructions too). This allows the chicken to cook evenly and also helps achieve a crisp coating in the oven. Cold food + Heat = Steam.
We want crispy, not steamed!
🤲 Substitutions
- I like panko bread crumbs as they are extra flaky and crisp, but you can use whatever breadcrumbs you’d like.
- If you’d like extra thin cutlets, pound them with a meat mallet before breading them.
- This amount of cheese is plenty cheesy for us without being quite as loaded as a traditional chicken parm. Use more or less cheese as you like.
- Some fresh parsley or basil is a nice finishing touch.
📓 Serve Baked Chicken Parm with…
- A delicious green salad
- Crispy, crunchy garlic bread
- Roasted vegetables
👝 How to Store Leftover Baked Chicken Parmesan
It’s important you allow the baked chicken parmesan to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. You can reheat and enjoy for up to 4 days!
🧠 Common Questions
Yes! I like chicken breasts because they are a lean cut of meat, but you are welcome to use whatever cut is available to you. Just remember that different cuts may require more or less time to cook through.
Traditional bread crumbs will work, but for that extra crunch, I’d opt for panko! Panko is made from crustless bread and has a larger, flakier consistency which makes for a crispier coating when baked or fried.
Of course! Provolone, Fontina, Ricotta, Cheddar – whatever you would like!
Yes! You can dredge your chicken and store it in the refrigerator before baking, or cook it fully and reheat it later!
If you have a meat thermometer on hand, the internal temperature of cooked chicken should reach 165°F (74°C). If you don’t, cutting into a breast to see if it is still pink in the middle is your best option – if it is pink/raw, keep cooking!
Pesto or Alfredo sauce would be great alternatives if tomato-based sauces are not your style.
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and sliced in half to make 8
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- Olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
Instructions
- Remove the chicken breasts from the refrigerator an hour before you plan to start cooking. This allows them to release some of the chill, and will help them crisp up and cook evenly. It’s not a dealbreaker if you don’t have the time, just expect that your crust may be a bit softer.
- Immediately slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise so it opens like a book, and slice into two pieces. You will have 8 pieces of chicken.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. (A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat.) Toss to coat and leave them to sit at room temperature for one hour.
- When the hour is up, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese.
- When your oven is preheated, line a baking sheet with foil then place a wire rack on top and spray with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray.
- Dredge the chicken breasts by dipping each chicken cutlet into the breadcrumb mixture and fully coating the entire cutlet.
- Place your coated chicken cutlets on the wire rack. Spray the top of the chicken cutlets with olive oil or vegetable oil spray, whatever you have. Place in the oven and bake for 20-24 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and spoon 1-2 tablespoons of marinara over the top of each cutlet. Now top with 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella per cutlet.
- Bake or broil the chicken cutlets for 5 more minutes for baking or 3 more minutes for broiling, or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with a green salad and crusty bread, or with pasta.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My 11 year old called it the best Italian dinner ever. His other favorite meal is your secret marinara meatballs. Thank you so much for giving us good food that we can make easily!
I don’t think I’ve ever received a better compliment! Thank him for his review on my behalf, Anna!
Kat.