Chicken Parmesan
Updated Jan. 23, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken, turkey or pork cutlets (or use chicken thighs for even more flavor)
- ½cup all-purpose flour
- 3large eggs, beaten
- 2 to 3cups panko bread crumbs, as needed
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Black pepper, as needed
- Olive oil, for frying
- 5cups Simple Tomato Sauce (see recipe)
- 1cup finely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ½pound fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1389 calories; 114 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 68 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 55 grams protein; 1623 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place cutlets between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap. Using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin, pound meat to even ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Step 2
Place flour, eggs and panko into three wide, shallow bowls. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Dip a piece in flour, then eggs, then coat with panko. Repeat until all the meat is coated.
- Step 3
Fill a large skillet with ½-inch oil. Place over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry cutlets in batches, turning halfway through, until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Step 4
Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle one-third of the Parmesan over sauce. Place half of the cutlets over the Parmesan and top with half the mozzarella pieces. Top with half the remaining sauce, sprinkle with another third of the Parmesan, and repeat layering, ending with a final layer of sauce and Parmesan.
- Step 5
Transfer pan to oven and bake until cheese is golden and casserole is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Larry G.
I do a simple one pan version:
Pan fry the cutlets.
Wipe the pan clean of the oil.
Place cutlets back in pan.
Place a thin slice of Prosciutto over each cutlet.
Place a slice of fresh mozzarella over each.
Place a dolop of tomato sauce over each.
Cover skillet and saute over low heat until cheese melts
Betsy
I know people say this all of the time, but does anyone actually make this recipe as is!?! I looked at the notes and I can’t find a single one. Look, it’s super that you change it up, I’m sure it’s delicious, but I would like to hear from someone-anyone who actually makes the dish just as described!
Betsy R
I thought for quite awhile about how I could retain the crunch in this dish without frying. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs and salted and floured them, then sautéed. I deglazed the pan with vermouth and added that on top of the chicken nestled in a lot of sauce.Then came the Mozzarella & Parmesan. Then I took Panko and added herbs and olive oil and spread it over the top of the dish. It got all brown, crunchy and good! Excellent! No need to pound thinly or fry. Yum!
Jacki
I have whipped up chicken parm on many occasions but decided to follow this recipe, which has you bake the chicken for 40 minutes in the sauce. For me, one of the best parts of chicken parm, or any parm, is the crunchy breading under the sauce and melted cheese, which you can get easily by frying your chicken, then topping with sauce and cheese and broiling. This recipe just produced really soggy chicken and a watery mess. Perhaps my mozzarella was the culprit, but it was disappointing.
Amy C
I love this recipe, but I prepare the breaded cutlets this way: I toast the panko crumbs on a sheet pan alone with about a tbsp of olive oil sprinkled over them and some salt and pepper added at 300 until golden. Watch the crumbs carefully because they can burn easily. Then I put the toasted crumbs in a dish to cool a bit and proceed with the breading process as directed here. Bake the cutlets on a cookie cooling rack at 400 for about 10-15 minutes. Much less fat and mess but still super crunchy
Keith
They key is using thighs, not breasts and using really good cheeses.
Pinhead
I did something completly different and it turned out the same.
It's a recipe, commenters who change it with stuff, change it into something else - that's a DIFFERENT recipe!
Larry
Lighthouse makes a freeze dried basil in glass jars that is very shelf stable and remarkably like fresh basil when used in sauces.
REBECCA CHERRY
My guess is she pretty much designed this casserole "straight outta NYC". Exactly the way a New York Italian-American restaurant would - a PERFECT balance of sauce and cheese and meat with not one of those elements having overpowering flavor. We, actually, wound up using probably six cups of sauce and a pound of mozzarella - but hey, more saucy, melty cheese never hurt any parmesan that I know of.
m
Might help your readers to know to beat the eggs before dipping.
Pat Brownlie
One of the best chicken parmesan recipes I've ever tried. I used chicken thighs since we like dark meat instead of white. Using panko is so much better than other "bread" crumbs for crispiness and the Simple Tomato Sauce is great!
Sarah
Didn't have time to make the sauce, so I used Rao's tomato sauce, and my husband still licked his plate clean. Really does melt in your mouth. I followed everything else and it turned out delicious.
Jill
Just enough till "the brown starts to crawl around the edges" (my mother's direction for fried chicken). Actually, that was about 3 minutes for the first side, 2 for the second. The crust is a light brown and holds up after baking.
Lee Schilling
I like your recipe, as is, with the exception that I prefer the fresh mozzarella to be on the top layer of the dish, an on occasion for finishing under a broiler for an ever so slight browning of the cheese. The other exception would be that in the summer when tomatoes are at there best I use FRESH tomato's skinned and seeded. Finally I also feel a fresh garlic bread is a tremendous compliment if not a necessity.
Firmbody96
Yes, I definitely make this by baking instead of frying and it is delicious and much less fat.
Michael Celentino
It surprised me that this is exactly how I prepare my chicken Parm. I switched to Panko ilo traditional breadcrumbs a couple years ago because they are lighter and crispier ! One additional thing I have done is switched from olive oil to Avacado oil . It is a higher temp tolerant oil and as a result it reduces the risk of over cooking the coated chicken. Getting the temperature right is a key technique to create that perfectly cooked crispy coated chicken with a moist inside .
Joe Zahner
I made this last night. I made it just as described with chicken thighs. It was delicious!
Mark
Good basic recipe. Biggest mistake you can make here is to understand what a cutlet is. A cutlet is not a boneless chicken breast like you purchase in those value packs. You cannot pound out an entire half breast. You must first horizontally slice each into 3-4 cutlets. The pounding becomes more of an evening than a thinning. Panko is certainly not traditional and I prefer homemade Italian style crumbs but nevertheless, it's not a huge deal. I've done both.
Josh
Really delicious. I didn’t have fresh mozzarella but it was good with the packaged variety.
BridgetG
Made this exactly as written. It was delicious, but better the second day when the panko had absorbed the sauce. Delicious!
Melissa
DIVINE. I’ve made this many times and it’s always solid. Not sure what I did differently this evening, but this time, it was incredible. So what was different? I made a half recipe and only did one layer. I used chicken breasts (I usually use thighs), sliced in half lengthwise to make cutlets, regular marinara sauce, and Pecorino instead of parmesan. But essentially the recipe to the letter. Just an excellent meal (and the leftovers will be hoagies for lunch today).
Danielle
Hi, can I make this two days ahead of time? Should I cook the whole thing and then just re-heat or assemble and then cook? Thanks in advance
husband who likes to cook
Easy recipe as is…even easier with 32 oz of store marinara sauce. Steam some broccoli for a vegetable and call it a day.
jlepre
This is divine. I wouldn't change a thing. Serve with crusty bread because the cheesy sauce is too good to waste.
Tanya
Made this exactly as is with chicken thighs and it was clearly the best chicken Parmesan I’ve ever had - everyone at the dinner table agreed. Love Melissa Clark’s recipes!
what i did
Two chicken breasts that I sliced in half Used one mozzarella ball Made sauce as recipe stated Could have used a little more salt or some basil
Kate
This was pretty good but I simply do not understand why you would cover up the crispy goodness of the cutlets with sauce and then put in the oven for 40 minutes. What is the point.
Mark
I kind of agree but this seems to be the method in the majority of the recipes out there. Kind of pointless to cook for 40 min too. Cutlets are cooked, sauce is cooked, so you just need to melt and brown the cheese. If you wanted to keep the cutlets crispy, oil the bottom, omit the sauce and broil the dish in a single layer. Serve with sauce on the side.
Dad
“Dad, make that again!” High praise. Fantastico,
Maureen
Also - rather than layer, spread it across multiple pans. Less soggy/messy.
Maureen
Made this almost exactly as described. Absolutely delicious. For the tomato sauce, I used Trader Joe’s marinara. Scattered fresh basil leaves on top before serving.
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