This is truly the best chicken parmesan! It’s perfectly coated, has tons of flavor, and just so satisfying. This is also one of my top three favorite meals that Thomas makes! It’s everything chicken parmesan should be and it’s perfect in every way. Brown and crispy chicken, yet soft and juicy on the inside. It’s a perfect cozy meal for a night in. Great for a date night, but even our kids love this one! It’s even better in the summer when we can use the basil from our garden! Such a crowd pleaser and honestly an easy meal to throw together!
What do you need to make the best chicken parmesan?
- Chicken breasts- Chicken breasts are ideal here. It kind of wouldn’t be chicken parmesan without them!
- All-purpose flour- This flour works great here, but all you really need to do is coat the chicken. You could substitute with whole wheat flour or gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour. I’m not sure if oat, coconut, or almond flour would work as well here.
- Eggs- Eggs are required, because this is what really helps the flour to stick and then the panko to cake on the outside. Makes for a perfectly crispy piece of chicken.
- Panko- We just used organic panko that we found at Kroger. You can also use breadcrumbs, but we’ve found the panko will give you a crispier chicken!
- Parmesan- For this dish, we used pre-grated parmesan. Grating it yourself works great as well.
- Marinara Sauce- All chicken parmesan has to have a delicious red sauce on top! We love Rao’s, it’s always our go-to and we usually get it in bulk from Costco.
- Fresh mozzarella- Shredded mozzarella would work here, but there’s nothing like the melty fresh mozzarella in this recipe!
- Fresh Basil- You could totally use fresh parsley here as well, but we prefer and love fresh basil. Fresh herbs just give a beautiful color pop and flavor pop to this dish! If you need to, dried herbs are fine as well!
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The Best Chicken Parmesan
This is truly the best chicken parmesan! It's perfectly coated, has tons of flavor, and just so satisfying. This is also one of my top three favorite meals that Thomas makes! It's everything chicken parmesan should be and it's perfect in every way. Brown and crispy chicken, yet soft and juicy on the inside. It's a perfect cozy meal for a night in. Great for a date night, but even our kids love this one! It's even better in the summer when we can use the basil from our garden! Such a crowd pleaser and honestly an easy meal to throw together! We also have a skillet version as well.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts (sliced in half so they're thinner)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp grass-fed butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs whisked
- ½ cup panko
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½-1 cup marinara sauce (or more if needed)
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella (sliced thin)
- fresh basil (to garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice chicken breast in half. You can pound out the chicken here if you'd like but it's not required. We don't always!
- Prepare dips for the chicken. In three separate flat containers, fill one with flour, one with the whisked eggs, and one with panko mixture. To make the panko one, add in: panko, parmesan, garlic, oregano, paprika, sea salt, & pepper.
- Coat the chicken breast in the following order: flour, then egg, then panko mix. Lay on sheet pan and set aside and repeat with each breast.
- Heat skillet (we used our cast iron) with olive oil.
- Cook chicken for about 3-5 minutes on each side until browned a bit. Add in the butter to get them more browned.
- Move the chicken to a lined baking sheet. Top each one with about 2 tbsp marinara and a few slices of mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven for about 8-12 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. You want to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F degrees.
- Top with freshly chopped basil! We love to pair ours with a simple salad and sometimes pasta as well. Enjoy!
For the Skillet Version:
- Follow all the steps up until transferring the chicken to the baking sheet. Instead of transferring, keep the chicken in the cast iron.
- Add the marinara right on top of the chicken. Top with sliced mozzarella. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F degrees.
- Top with fresh basil and enjoy!
Notes
For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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