This parmesan crusted chicken recipe is a comfort food classic with tender chicken breasts nestled inside crispy breading. It's ready in just 30 minutes, and the parmesan and panko breadcrumb coating is easier to make than you think!
Try my Chicken Milanese next for another super simple weeknight dish.
Why you'll love it
If you've made my Chicken Parmesan recipe, you might have thought that the breaded chicken would be fantastic on its own. And you'd be right! Learning how to bread chicken is a great kitchen skill to have, and it's easy to make golden, ultra crispy chicken that uses only a handful of pantry ingredients.
In my home this is one of our favorite ways to jazz up chicken since it's got an insanely tasty crunch from the crispy parmesan coating yet stays juicy and tender on the inside. The kids will love it too since it's basically the restaurant quality, dressed-up version of chicken tenders!
What you'll need
- Chicken breasts - cutting them into four smaller cutlets keeps them juicy, and they cook faster and more evenly
- Garlic powder - you're not going to want to leave out this extra burst of seasoning!
- Flour - to dredge the chicken cutlets
- Egg - the egg mixture is for binding the parmesan breading to the chicken
- Panko breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese - this delicious trio makes up the crispy breading. Make sure to grate your own parmesan.
- Olive oil - for frying up to dreamy, crispy perfection
Pro tip
- I like using panko breadcrumbs to make it extra crispy. If you can find Italian seasoned ones, no need to add the extra Italian seasoning. You can make this with regular breadcrumbs if that's all you've got on hand.
How to make parmesan crusted chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so that you end up with four smaller cutlets. Season them on both sides with salt & pepper and garlic powder.
Dredge each chicken cutlet in flour, followed by dipping into the egg wash.
Finally, dip each piece into the panko breadcrumbs and parmesan mixture. Cooking the chicken in two batches, pan fry until golden brown. Arrange all four cutlets in the oven-proof skillet, and finish them off in the oven.
Breading tips
- Make sure that you dry off the chicken before getting started. Simply pat it with paper towels.
- During each step of the dredging process (flour, egg, breadcrumbs), be sure to shake off any excess and that the chicken pieces are fully coated for each step.
- Don't add all the chicken to the skillet at once. I do two pieces at a time to give them plenty of room. Make sure the pan is hot prior to adding it.
- Don't move the chicken around the skillet. Once it's in there, resist the urge to touch it until it's time to flip it over!
Tools for this recipe
- Tongs make flipping the chicken in the skillet really easy.
- This recipe uses an oven-proof skillet. It's something that I think every cook should own. They're very versatile and come in a range of price points. For this recipe I used my 10.25" Le Creuset. You can see it was a little small since I happened to buy rather large pieces of chicken, but a little overlap for the last part of the recipe is fine. I also love my Lodge cast iron (a more affordable option).
- If you don't own an oven-proof skillet, transfer the chicken to a baking dish for the last step.
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to quickly check if chicken is done.
What to serve with it
- Try Fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce, my Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or Pesto Gnocchi.
- A side of vegetables works great too! I used broccolini in the first photo.
- You can't go wrong with a simple salad. Try dressing it up with this homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers of this chicken can be kept in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days, but the parmesan breading will soften up a bit.
- I don't recommend freezing leftovers.
- To reheat, try crisping them up again in an air fryer. A couple of minutes/side at 350F should do the trick. You could also microwave them in 30-second increments or heat in a skillet on low until warmed through.
More tasty chicken recipes to try
Questions about this breaded chicken recipe? Let me know in the comments below, or leave a review if you made it. You can also find me on Instagram!
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Position the rack in the top third of the oven.
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Sprinkle it with the garlic powder and some salt & pepper on both sides.
- Prepare 3 bowls: one with the flour, one with the eggs (beat them with a fork), and the third with the panko/parmesan/Italian seasoning (mix it all together)
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Let the pan heat up while you're working on the chicken in the next step.
- Meanwhile, coat the chicken pieces in the flour. You will then dip each piece in the egg, followed by the breadcrumb mixture (shake off any excess at each of the 3 steps). Pro tip: do the dipping with one hand and leave the other one free to make this process easier. You may need to gently press the chicken into the breadcrumbs to make them stick.
- Add 2 of the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for around 2-3 minutes/side until golden. I use tongs to easily flip the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and for the second batch, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Once you've fried all the chicken, take the skillet off the heat and arrange all 4 pieces inside. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through (chicken is done when an instant read thermometer reads 165F).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- I recommend reading the blog post for tips if you've never breaded chicken before.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Holly says
Why do you recommend not freezing them. I would love to them to my prepared freezer meals.
Natasha says
Hi Holly! I just worry the breading is likely to either come off or become soggy and not crisp up nicely, so that's why I don't recommend it. Let me know if you have success with it, though. I am not someone who freezes a lot of food, so if you have a trick that makes it a good freezer meal, please come back and share as I'm sure others would love to know as well. 🙂
Sadie says
Can you make this with frozen chicken breasts? Do you just thaw them at room temp before starting? Love making your recipes! I am learning to cook and they are all easy enough for beginners!
Natasha says
Hi Sadie!! Yup, you would need to thaw them first. I'm so happy you found me and enjoy my recipes... that's really nice to hear! 😀 Let me know how it goes.
Summer Doutt says
Can you prep the chicken and put it in the fridge till cooking time?
Natasha says
You mean the full breading? I don't recommend it. I suppose you could try as an experiment, but in my experience, it's best to do it right away.
Patricia says
Very good. Made them a couple of times with a couple of alterations. Made them with Italian style bread crumbs, which I like better than Panko. Instead of putting the chicken in a skillet first, I baked them directly in the oven at 350 for about about 35-40 minutes, depending on chicken size. they were moist and very tasty.
Natasha says
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the oven tip. 🙂
Ashley says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I didn’t have fresh Parmesan, but using bought stuff still worked perfectly! Definitely will make again 🙂
Natasha says
Wonderful!
Lora White says
Made this recipe 😋 will definitely be making it again.
Natasha says
Yay!! Thanks, Lora!
Erin says
I didn't have fresh parmesean cheese so I used mostly romano and some grated parmesean. Yummy!!! Super easy and quick too
Natasha says
I'm so glad it worked out and you enjoyed it, Erin!! Thanks for your 5-star review! 😀
Jessica says
I made this chicken and your Alfredo sauce recipe for my mom’s birthday and it was absolutely incredible!! Everyone LOVED it. I’m not much of a cook so I felt very proud when I got so many compliments. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Natasha says
Aww I love that!! 🙂
Joanne says
I made this for supper tonight. It was really good. It had such great flavour and so juicy. No leftovers here.🙂 Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely make this again!
Natasha says
You're very welcome, Joanne! 🙂
Stef says
Great addition to my staples! Thanks for the recipe it's delicious with a marinara sauce.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Stef!
Anne says
Well how long do you cook it for?!?
Natasha says
...you had to scroll past the recipe instructions to leave me a comment.
Tiffany says
LOL
Michele says
Maybe she's new to navigating recipes on social media or wanted to double check before making...your response comes off quite rude!
Natasha says
When someone uses punctuation like "?!!", begins it with "Well", and doesn't take a few minutes to read through a thoughtfully written blog post, I have zero desire to be polite. A simple "hello, I was wondering if..." would garner a more friendly response on my part.
Canl says
Wow!!
Jane McMurray says
I love the details you provided to help me put this meal together. I used the Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs without Panko or additional Italian Seasonsing. I think I should have salted more, it was good but a little bland. My chicken breasts, skined and boned, were 1.48 pounds total. Next time, I will only used one egg and less both of flour and breadcrumbs. Maybe I did something wrong because there was so much left.
I literally never fry anything because it is such a mess. I used a cast iron skillet to brown chicken and put it immediately in the oven. Is this a meal I could make in advance and finish cooking later in the oven for company? Possibly after browning it in the skillet, could I remove and refrigerate. The next night, put it in the oven at 400 degrees to finish cooking? What do you think?
Natasha says
Hi Jane! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I always tend to have a bit of dredging mixture left over. Better than having not enough, I'd say. So, it's potentially not safe to refrigerate meat/poultry that's only partially cooked through. I think this is probably one of those recipes that's best made fresh, unfortunately.
rochelle says
Easy & delicious!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it! Thanks so much for your review!
Beth says
Easy and delicious. I made it with asparagus and mashed potatoes and it was a perfect spring dinner.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! 😀
Dana says
I cook this once a week and everyone loves it!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Thanks for letting me know, Dana! 🙂
Megan says
Can’t wait to try this! Curious what pasta you have it pictured with? Looks delicious.
Natasha says
Hi Megan! It's with Fettuccine Alfredo. Alfredo sauce can be found here: https://bit.ly/3EsPVDY
Dawna says
Hey,
How will this recipe travel??
Natasha says
Hi Dawna! So, I have a feeling that the breading is likely to soften up, unfortunately.
Maria Arnold says
Hi today i cooked today this recipe my Family was impressed how the chicken turn out it was delicious.
I been seen the recipes you have and I chose some to make it.
Thanks so much for the recipes 😀
Natasha says
Fabulous!! 🙂 I'm so pleased you're enjoying my recipes. Thank you!
Courtney says
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out pretty well. I made it for my family of 7 and they felt it needed just a little bit more flavor, so when I make it next time I might increase the Italian seasoning as well as garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The chicken was really juicy and my family really liked it. Definitely a keeper!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it! Yup, the ingredients are definitely easy to adjust next time to your preferences. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review, Courtney! 🙂
Lee says
Can this be made ahead and frozen.
Natasha says
Hi! I haven't tested it, but I think the breading may go soggy when it's thawed (and then fall off). You could give it a try if you're in an experimenting mood or have leftovers, though.
Deb Guglielmo says
I made this chicken dish tonight for my son and daughter-in-law. It was delicious, with seconds for all! It was much easier to make than I anticipated, also very crispy and tender. I served it with mashed potatoes, gravy and asparagus. Thanks so much for this recipe!! Deb
Natasha says
That's wonderful!! Thank you for letting me know, Deb. 😀
Cindy says
Made this tonight with chicken tenderloins. Absolutely delicious! The whole family raved. (Half hour later one of my kids is already eating the leftovers.) Also made mashed potatoes along with gravy from another of your chicken recipes. Amazing meal! Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm so glad that it was a hit!! 🙂 Thanks, Cindy!
Gail says
I made this tonight but since only the two of us, I just used one breast sliced in half and cut all the ingredients in half. I forgot the parmesan cheese and they still were wonderful! Easy to make and I served them with your Brussel Sprouts and Bacon recipe. A little bit of microwave mashed potatoes and we were in heaven. Looking at some more of your recipes to try!
Thank you Natasha!
Natasha says
I'm so glad it worked out! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and try out some of my recipes... really appreciate you following along. XO
Charlotte Jennings says
This recipe is absolutely delicious 😍 the steps were super easy to follow and it was so easy and quick. The chicken turned out so crunchy and juicy and yummy. You could eat it with practically anything!
Natasha says
Yay!! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Charlotte! Thanks for commenting! 😀
Natasha says
What is that yummy looking pasta in the picture??? I want that recipe please.
Natasha says
Hi! It's my Alfredo sauce... it's linked in the post (it's under the "what to serve with" section). 🙂
Gloria mellyn says
As always looking forward on making these recipes.
Wishing you a great week.
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Gloria! 🙂 I hope you have a great week too!
Alexa says
Have you found a good substitute for egg when breading the chicken? My daughter has an egg allergy and you seem so knowledgeable with replacements. Thank you.
Natasha says
Hi Alexa! Unfortunately, I haven't ever tested one. I did a quick search and I saw buttermilk as a suggestion. Maybe you could try that? Let me know if you do.
Victorya says
I have an egg allergy. I use JustEgg as an egg substitute in all recipes, whether breading or meatballs and it turns out perfectly every time. I also fry it up just like regular eggs. Changed my life. I also now use Hellman’s Vegan mayo and the family never even noticed the switch.
Natasha says
Thanks for the tip!
Carol Brusa says
This looks delicious. I appreciate the hits regarding breading chicken pieces. We will make.
Natasha says
You're welcome! Let me know how it goes, Carol! 🙂