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 Healthy 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.
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.
Just a quick note: 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!
Watch Me Make My Healthy Chicken Parmesan
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How To Make My Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan
Step 1. Remove the chicken breasts from the refrigerator an hour before you plan to start cooking.
Step 2. 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.
Step 3. 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.
Step 4. 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.
Step 5. In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese.
Step 6. Dredge the chicken breasts by dipping each chicken cutlet into the breadcrumb mixture and fully coating the entire cutlet.
Step 7. 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.
Step 8. 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.
Step 9. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread, or with pasta.
Step 10. Enjoy!
What Else Can I Use?
- I like panko bread crumbs as they are extra flaky and crisp. 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.
This Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan is special because:
It’s a healthy twist on a classic dinner we all love!
No splattering oil, no greasy plates or heavy batter
More Delicious, Kid-Friendly Dinners
My Secret Sauce Stuffed Meatballs
The Creamiest Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (Vegan)
No-Fuss Crispy Chicken Thighs (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Paleo)
The Best 10-Minute Air Fryer Salmon
Sweet Potato + Black Bean Tacos with Pickled Jalapeño Slaw
If you make my Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan, and I hope you do, please leave me a comment here and rate the recipe. Your feedback means a lot to me! You can also post to Instagram and tag me so I can share your creations!
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Healthy 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 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.
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