An easy Baked Chicken Parmesan recipe made with parmesan crusted chicken breasts topped with melted mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Not only is this a healthy version of a classic recipe, but it's a quick and easy family favorite everyone will love!
If you follow me here on the blog, you know I love chicken recipes. All kinds...nothing is off the table. This baked chicken parmesan recipe is similar to my One Pan Garlic Baked Chicken with Mozzarella, but it's different in that this is an Italian chicken recipe that is oven baked. This easy chicken parmesan is simple to make, is foolproof, and makes for the best family meal!
Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Parmigiana?
You've probably heard this classic dish called "Chicken Parmesan Recipe" as well as "Chicken Parmigiana Recipe". And you're probably thinking...what's the difference? I'm here to tell you they are one in the same! There is no difference at all! Here in the United States, we tend to shorten it and call this dish "chicken parm". In Italy, they call this "Italian pollo alla parmigiana" So no matter what you call it, it's one in the same with maybe some small variations to the ingredients.
Ingredients You'll Need
Let's talk about the ingredients you'll need to make this oven baked dish and some substitutions you can make. While I like to use thick boneless breasts for this meal, you can also use cutlets. Cutlets are chicken breasts that have been cut in half and pounded to an even thickness.
As for the breadcrumbs, I love using Italian inspired panko style because of the added flavor but regular breadcrumbs work great, as well.
For the sauce, I use a combination of jar marinara and fresh tomatoes, basil, and oregano. If you want to skip the jar marinara and make your own, my homemade spaghetti sauce is amazing with this recipe.
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Then, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet and sauté for 3 minutes or until they turn a light brown color.
Remove the breadcrumbs from the skillet and add them to a small bowl along with the Parmesan cheese and melted butter. With a large spoon, combine to ensure the ingredients are mixed well. This buttery mixture you just created is the chicken parmesan breading.
From there, heat the same skillet you just used over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to skillet and spread evenly. While the oil is heating, season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper and then add them to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn the pieces over and sauté for another 3 minutes. Remove each piece from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
It's now time to make the marinara sauce. In the same skillet, add the remaining salt, pepper, chopped onion and garlic, fresh tomatoes, marinara sauce, chicken stock, and fresh oregano. Stir to mix well and let the sauce cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, uncovered.
Return the chicken to the skillet by placing each piece on top of the marinara sauce. Turn up the heat to medium-high and let the meat and sauce cook for another 5 minutes. Expert Tip: Using tongs, flip the each breasts halfway through so the sauce is coated on both sides.
After 5 minutes, remove the breasts and sauce from the skillet and add to a 13x9 oven safe baking dish. Using your hands, press the breadcrumb mixture onto the top of each piece of chicken. Evenly sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese onto each breaded breast.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Top with additional fresh oregano and fresh basil.
Let this baked chicken parmesan recipe rest on top of the stovetop for 5-7 minutes. Using a spatula, remove a piece from the pan and then place it on a plate.
Serve this baked chicken parmesan on top of a bed of pasta. Spaghetti, rotini, or penne noodles work best. If you're looking for a healthy chicken parmesan, eat it on its own with no pasta.
This baked chicken parmesan recipe could not be more easy to make!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- While you can use pre-packaged shredded mozzarella cheese, this parmesan chicken tastes so much better with freshly shredded mozzarella. The same rule holds true with Parmesan cheese.
- To make the breasts even more tender, use a meat tenderizer to pound them to ¼ inch thickness.
- Once this baked parmesan crusted chicken has been cooked, it can be frozen. Once it's cooled, place each breast and the sauce into a gallon sized resealable plastic bag. Write the date on the bag and lay flat in the freezer. It's good for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it in the refrigerator and then bake it in the oven at 350°F until it's heated through. Keep in mind that the breadcrumbs won't be as crispy, but it will still taste amazingly delicious!
- To make this an even healthier meal, serve it on top of zucchini noodles or with fresh roasted vegetables!
More Chicken Recipes You'll Love!
Here's some more of my most popular ones I think you should try making soon! This Lemon Butter Chicken is one of my most popular recipes because it's easy to make and full of flavor. My Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce is also super flavorful and works well for a busy weeknight dinner. If you're loving the Italian flare in this recipe, then you'll enjoy my Chicken Capri recipe. It's baked and made with ricotta cheese topped with fresh melted mozzarella and fresh oregano.
This is such a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to hear how you liked it! Leave me a comment if you make this and tag me @recipesworthrepeating on Instagram and hashtag it #recipesworthrepeating so I can see what you made!
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Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 3 teaspoons fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 cup fresh tomato, chopped
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon chopped oregano, fresh
- 3 Tablespoons chopped basil, fresh
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Then, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet and sauté for 3 minutes or until it turns a light brown color.
- Remove the breadcrumbs from the skillet and add to a small bowl along with the shredded Parmesan cheese and melted butter. With a large spoon, combine to ensure the ingredients are mixed well.
- Next, heat the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet and spread evenly.
- Season the chicken with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper and then add them to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn each piece over and saute for another 3 minutes. Remove each piece from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining salt and pepper, chopped onion and garlic, fresh tomatoes, marinara sauce, chicken stock, and fresh oregano. Stir to mix and let the sauce cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, uncovered.
- Return the breasts to the skillet by placing each piece on top of the marinara sauce. Turn the heat up to medium-high and let the chicken and sauce cook for another 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip each breasts halfway through so the sauce is on both sides.
- After 5 minutes, remove the breasts and sauce from the skillet and add to a 13x9 oven safe baking dish. Using your hands, press the breadcrumb mixture onto the top of each piece of chicken. Evenly sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese onto each piece.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Top with additional fresh oregano and fresh basil. Let the dish rest on top of the stovetop for 5-7 minutes. Using a spatula, remove a piece and place on a plate.
Notes
- While you can use pre-packaged shredded mozzarella cheese, dish tastes so much better with freshly shredded mozzarella. The same rule holds true with Parmesan cheese.
- To make the chicken even more tender, use a meat tenderizer to pound each breast to ¼ inch thickness.
- You can freeze this recipe once it's been cooked. Once it's cooled, place each breast and the sauce into a gallon sized resealable plastic bag. Write the date on the bag and lay flat in the freezer. It's good for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it in the refrigerator and then bake it in the oven at 350°F until it's heated through. Keep in mind that the breadcrumbs won't be as crispy, but it will still taste amazingly delicious!
- To make this an even healthier meal, serve it on top of zucchini noodles or with fresh roasted vegetables!
Nutrition
- Recipe source: inspired by Cooking Light
Lorie
HI Amanda. This recipe looks delicious! Do you know if it freezes well?
Amanda Mason
Hi! It freezes well as long as you remove the cheese. Cheese doesn't freeze well. Let me know how you like it!