Easy Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is a classic for a reason! Chicken cutlets, breaded and fried, smothered with tomato sauce, and covered with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses are so good. Serve with pasta or on a roll.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated September 29, 2023
Elise Bauer

Oh, how we love chicken parmesan—chicken cutlets, breaded and fried, smothered with tomato sauce, covered with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and baked until the cheese is bubbly and melts into every nook and cranny.

Like its sister recipe, my mother's parmesan chicken (chicken nuggets dipped in melted butter, breaded and baked), this dish is pure comfort food.

It's one of those everyone-should-know-how-to-make recipes. It's easy and comes together quickly. In fact, it's hard to mess up! Chicken Parmesan is also one of the best uses I can think of for boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.

Baked Chicken Parmesan bake the chicken in the oven in a casserole dish
Sally Vargas

Tips for Making Chicken Parmesan

  • Pound the chicken thin: Place the chicken cutlets one at a time between two layers of plastic wrap or wax paper. Use a meat hammer, mallet, rolling pin, or even a heavy empty wine bottle to pound or roll the chicken pieces to an even thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch.
  • Grate the onions: One trick that will save a little time with making the sauce is to peel and grate the onion instead of chopping it. Use the large holes of a box grater. Don't cut onion in half, just grate half of a whole onion. The onion will cook faster this way, release more of its juices, and your sauce will come together more quickly.
  • Buy the best canned tomatoes: Your sauce will only be as good as your tomatoes, so use a good quality canned tomato! We like the Muir Glen brand of crushed tomatoes (fire roasted or with basil). A good canned San Marzano tomato from Italy would work well too. If crushed isn't available, you can buy canned whole tomatoes and pulse them (with the liquid) in a blender or food processor.
  • Make your own breadcrumbs! We like to use stale French bread and run it through the blender or food processor. Check out food processor instructions in this post, How to Make Breadcrumbs.

What Goes With Chicken Parmesan?

Serve the chicken parmesan straight up, over pasta, or in a sub roll as a sandwich. Chicken Parm goes great with a side of Caesar salad, a wedge salad, or green vegetables such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

Here are 4 More Ways to Savor Chicken Parm:

Baked Chicken Parmesan bake the chicken in the oven in a casserole dish
Sally Vargas

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 4 servings

Your sauce will only be as good as your tomatoes, so use a good quality canned tomato! We like Muir Glen brand crushed tomatoes (fire roasted or with basil), or Italian San Marzano tomatoes.

Grating the onion will create smaller onion pieces and release more of the onion's juices, and is faster than chopping.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 large yellow onion, grated (don't cut onion in half, just grate half of a whole onion), about 3/4 cup of grated onion

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • Pinch red pepper flakes

  • Pinch sugar

For the chicken:

  • 4 chicken breast cutlets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds)

  • Salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup breadcrumbs, panko or homemade

  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

To serve:

  • Cooked spaghetti, or sub rolls

Method

  1. Start the sauce:

    Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about a minute more.

    Then add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Bring to a simmer; reduce the heat to maintain the simmer. Cook, uncovered while you prepare the chicken (about 10 to 12 minutes).

    Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe cook the sauce
    Sally Vargas
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F
  3. Pound cutlets thin:

    Place the chicken cutlets one at a time between two layers of plastic wrap or wax paper. Use a meat hammer, mallet, rolling pin, or even a heavy empty wine bottle to pound or roll the chicken pieces to an even thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the cutlets.

    Easy Chicken Parmesan pound the cutlets with a mallet
    Sally Vargas
  4. Prepare breadcrumbs and eggs for dredging:

    In a shallow bowl (large enough to dredge the cutlets), mix together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and pinch of salt. In separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs.

  5. Dredge cutlets and brown them:

    Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering (not smoking) and a piece of breading dropped into it sizzles.

    Working one cutlet at a time, dip the chicken cutlet into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs. Working in batches as to not crowd the pan, place the dredged cutlets into the pan.

    Lower the heat to medium and gently fry the chicken cutlets until they are golden brown on each side, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

    Chicken Parmesan recipe dip the chicken into the egg
    Sally Vargas
    Baked Chicken Parmesan dredge the chicken in breadcrumbs
    Sally Vargas
    Baked chicken parmesan recipe brown the cutlets
    Sally Vargas
  6. Prep the chicken for the oven:

    Spread enough tomato sauce to thickly coat the bottom of a 9x13 casserole pan or baking dish. Once the cutlets are browned on both sides, arrange them on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish.

    Spoon tomato sauce over each of the cutlets. Sprinkle the tops with sliced basil. Then lay slices of mozzarella over each cutlet and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

    Prep the chicken parmesan for the oven in the casserole dish
    Sally Vargas
  7. Bake:

    Bake in the oven at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the mozzarella begins to brown.

    Simple Tip!

    The internal temperature of the chicken breasts should be 165°F (74°C) when tested with a meat thermometer. If necessary, bake the chicken longer to get it to that temperature. The thinner the cutlets, the faster they will bake. Thicker cutlets will take more time.

    Baked Chicken Parmesan bake the chicken in the oven in a casserole dish
    Sally Vargas
  8. Serve:

    Serve with pasta and the remaining sauce, or in a large roll.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1045 Calories
60g Fat
57g Carbs
69g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 1045
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 60g 77%
Saturated Fat 18g 92%
Cholesterol 329mg 110%
Sodium 1764mg 77%
Total Carbohydrate 57g 21%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 69g
Vitamin C 20mg 99%
Calcium 698mg 54%
Iron 7mg 41%
Potassium 1139mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.