Homemade chicken parmesan recipe featuring a crust made of panko bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Topped with marinara and fresh Mozzarella.
I don’t know what it’s like in your household, but at the Anthony residence, any day fried chicken makes an appearance on the table, it is a special day indeed.
Particularly if that chicken happens to be dredged in panko and freshly grated Parmesan before it hits the oil. And, even more so, if it’s topped with a bright, yet savory marinara, creamy Mozzarella cheese, and finally baked to melty, heavenly perfection.
For the longest time, chicken parmesan was only a far-and-away restaurant treat, but when you really think about it…why? The elements of chicken parmesan are really very simple when you break it down, and with this recipe, you can make chicken parmesan at home better than any Italian restaurant you frequent. Guaranteed.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHICKEN PARMESAN
Homemade chicken parmesan consists of three main elements:
- Thinly sliced chicken breasts (a.k.a. chicken cutlets) coated in a mixture of Parmesan and breadcrumbs, and lightly fried in oil.
- Marinara sauce — either homemade (see recipe below) or your favorite store-bought jar will do.
- Mozzarella cheese.
And, of course, don’t forget the spaghetti on the side.
HOW TO THE COOK CHICKEN FOR CHICKEN PARMESAN
FIRST THINGS FIRST: WHAT CHICKEN TO BUY
It’s easiest to start with storebought chicken cutlets for chicken parmesan. If you’re unable to find cutlets at the store, you can also purchase boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
If you are going the boneless skinless chicken breast route, you will need to pound out the breasts to just under a 1/2 inch in thickness. To do this, you will also need a gallon-sized zip top bag and a meat mallet. You could also use two sheets of wax paper and a rolling pin.
Place the chicken breasts one at a time in the ziptop bag, remove the air, and seal it shut. Using the smooth side of the meat mallet, pound out the chicken breasts until under a 1/2″ in thickness.
PAT THE CHICKEN DRY AND SEASON IT
Pat the chicken dry using a paper towel, and season it. This step is essential to giving the chicken itself, rather than just the breading, flavor.
THE PERFECT COATING FOR CHICKEN PARMESAN
The best coating for crispy, flavorful chicken parmesan is a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese — panko for the crispy, and freshly grated Parmesan for the flavor.
THE DREDGE
Once the chicken is ready and the coating is mixed up and ready to go, all that’s left is to dredge and fry.
Your dredging station for chicken parmesan will consist of three trays: (1) seasoned flour, an egg and milk mixture, and your panko/Parmesan mixture.
To dredge the chicken, the seasoned chicken cutlets are first coated in seasoned flour, then dunked in the egg and milk mixture, and finally, coated with the panko/Parmesan mix.
A QUICK TRIP TO THE FRYING PAN
The chicken cutlets are transferred to hot oil, and fried briefly, for about 2-3 minutes on each. The cutlets cook through very quickly.
TOP WITH MARINARA & MOZZARELLA AND BROIL
After the cutlets are fried, they are topped with marinara and, in this case, fresh Bocconcini Mozzarella.
Fresh mozzarella is a game-changer when it comes to chicken parmesan. It’s soft and creamy, and no other cheese seems to get quite as perfectly melty. You can typically find fresh Mozzarella near the deli area of the grocery store.
The toppings go on, and the chicken spends only A small amount of time under the broiler. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO STEP AWAY, FOLKS.
The chicken is not going under the broiler to finish cooking. The purpose of the broiler is to solely melt the cheese on top. Broilers have a tendency to go from 0-60 in no-time-flat, and it’s important that you keep an eye on your chicken so that it does not burn.
Chicken parmesan cooked to crispy perfection, dripping in marinara and oozing with fresh mozzarella cheese: A restaurant specialty made even better in your very own kitchen.
Now that is extraordinary.
6 MORE ITALIAN DINNERS YOU’LL LOVE
- Homemade Chicken Parmesan features a crispy crust made of panko bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Topped with marinara and fresh Mozzarella.
- Baked Spaghetti Casserole is made of spaghetti noodles coated in parmesan and butter, an easy marinara meat sauce, savory cottage cheese, and a topping of stretchy mozzarella, and baked until bubbly!
- Chicken Scallopini features thinly sliced, golden chicken cutlets drenched in a buttery lemon sauce with capers is essentially the definition of irresistible.
- Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs from scratch! Featuring homemade meatballs baked in the oven.
- Stuffed Shells are loaded with Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese, topped off with marinara and cheese, and baked for a crowd-pleasing casserole!
- Chicken Scallopini is a must-make, Italian restaurant classic featuring thinly sliced, golden chicken cutlets drenched in a buttery lemon sauce with capers.
Homemade chicken parmesan recipe featuring a crust made of panko bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Topped with marinara and fresh Mozzarella.
- 1 pound thin spaghetti
- 8 ounces Bocconcini (fresh Mozzarella), cut into thin slices
- 2 cups canola oil
- 2 pounds chicken cutlets thinly sliced chicken breasts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons Kosher salt, separated
- 2 teaspoon black pepper, separated
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly ground or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
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Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a roaring boil over high heat, and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Lay Bocconcini slices evenly across a layer of paper towels, and top with an additional layer of paper towels, to absorb excess water.
- For the chicken, in a large saute pan or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°-375°.
Have ready a cookie sheet lined with paper towels, topped with a cooling rack.
In an assembly line, also have ready three breading pans, pie plates or shallow baking dishes.
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In the first pan mix together flour, 2 teaspoons Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. In the next pan, whisk together eggs and milk. In the third pan, mix together breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
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Dab any excess moisture off of the chicken with a paper towel. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper evenly across the chicken cutlets.
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Begin dredging the chicken by coating both sides of each cutlet in the seasoned flour, then the egg mix, followed by the panko and Parmesan mixture.
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Carefully place cutlets in the oil, and fry for 2 ½ minutes on each side or until cooked through, taking care not to overcrowd the chicken in the pan. Transfer to the cooling rack.
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Turn on broiler. Place chicken on broiler-safe pan. Spoon about a 2 tablespoons of marinara over each cutlet, top with Mozzarella and garnish with parsley, if desired.
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Broil just until cheese is melted and begins to bubble. Watch closely under the broiler. Do not step away. Remove chicken from the oven.
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Serve with a side of spaghetti topped with marinara sauce. Enjoy.
An easy and quick homemade marinara sauce, perfect for topping spaghetti and chicken parmesan.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large can 28 ounces fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
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Add olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute 2-3 minutes, add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
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Add in the tomatoes, sugar, pepper and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Allow to rapidly simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring often.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Perfect weeknight meal. Comfort food at it’s best. Chicken dredged in panko is always a winner!