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This delicious Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan recipe is easy and doesn’t require any frying. Because this chicken Parmesan is baked, it is healthy, quick and easy! Make this crispy baked Parmesan crusted chicken for dinner tonight in about thirty minutes!
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Baked instead of fried!
I always think of Chicken Parmesan as being a complicated and labor intensive recipe – but I recently discovered that Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan is not only easy, but quick enough for a weeknight dinner!
This is a great chicken breast recipe – cutting the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and then pounding them slightly to make them even thickness will help them cook quickly and really helps you achieve more of a restaurant quality taste.
How to cut chicken breasts in half
I have never cut my chicken breasts like this before, but it is very simple and makes a huge difference the cooking time and taste. Simply cut through the middle as if you are going to butterfly the chicken breast (cutting it open like a book), but cut all the way through to make two equal sized pieces.
After cutting the chicken breasts in half, place them in a gallon sized zip top bag in an even layer, seal it, then pound them to an even thickness. You can use a meat pounder or a rolling pin to do this. You can also place the chicken breasts between two layers of cling wrap instead of a zip top bag if you prefer.
How to make Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Line a baking sheet with foil, brush foil with olive oil. Adjust oven rack so that is in the second from the top space. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half and pound to even thickness.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
- In one shallow dish, mix together panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper.
- In another shallow dish, whisk one egg.
- Dip one chicken breast into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture. Ensure chicken breast is fully coated in the crumb mixture, and gently press with your hand do help the crumbs stick to the chicken. Place chicken breast on prepared baking sheet, repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Place baking sheet in oven on the second from the top rack. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Flip chicken, pour 1/4 cup of marinara sauce over each piece of chicken, then top with cheese. Place back in the oven. Turn on the broiler. Broil for 2-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and edges of chicken are browning.
What temperature do you bake Chicken Parmesan at?
Bake this Chicken Parmesan at 400 degrees to ensure it is nice and crispy, then finish it under the broiler.
How long do you bake Chicken Parmesan in the oven?
Because the chicken breasts have been cut in half and pounded to an equal thickness, they cook very quickly – it only takes about 15 minutes for them to be done.
Do you need to cover chicken Parmesan in the oven?
No, I did not cover the chicken while baking it. Leaving the chicken uncovered allows with to get more crispy and prevents it from getting soggy.
What is the best Parmesan Cheese to use for Baked Chicken Parmesan?
As always, I recommend buying a wedge of Parmesan cheese and grating it yourself rather then buying pre-grated Parmesan cheese. Often containers of pre-grated Parmesan have wood pulp in them, not to mention they just don’t taste as good. You are better off buying a wedge of real Parmigiano-Reggiano and using a microplane to grate it.
Is baked chicken parmesan healthy?
Baked Chicken Parmesan is healthy because it is baked and not fried, which means it uses less oil. Using chicken breasts means it has lots of protein but less fat. I use my homemade marinara sauce, which has no added sugar. And you can control the type of cheese you use, as well as how much. Although I prefer to use whole milk mozzarella, you can also use part skim if you prefer (it just doesn’t melt quite as nicely, and I think the difference in calories is minimal). One serving of this Baked Chicken Parmesan has 436 calories vs Olive Garden Chicken Parmesan which has 1450 calories according to their website.
Ready to make Baked Chicken Parmesan? This recipe calls for marinara sauce – I always make my Easy 20 Minute Marinara for this, because it is so fast. I start it right before I start the chicken, then when it is time to put the marinara on the chicken, the sauce is done.
More Easy Italian Recipes
Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts About 1 pound of chicken total
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoon minced parsley optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil, brush foil with olive oil. Adjust oven rack so that is in the second from the top space. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half and pound to even thickness: Cut through the middle of the chicken breast as if you are going to butterfly it (cutting it open like a book), but cut all the way through to make two equal sized pieces.
- After cutting the chicken breasts in half, place them in a gallon sized zip top bag in an even layer, seal it, then pound them to an even thickness using a meat pounder or a rolling pin. You can also place the chicken breasts between two layers of cling wrap instead of a zip top bag if you prefer.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
- In one shallow dish, mix together panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper.
- In another shallow dish, whisk one egg.
- Dip one chicken breast into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture. Ensure chicken breast is fully coated in the crumb mixture, and gently press with your hand do help the crumbs stick to the chicken. Place chicken breast on prepared baking sheet, repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Place baking sheet in oven on the second from the top rack. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Flip chicken, pour 1/4 cup of marinara sauce over each piece of chicken, then top with cheese. Place back in the oven. Turn on the broiler. Broil for 2-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and edges of chicken are browning.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is absolutely delicious!! It has become one of our favorite meals. We serve over Fettuccine Alfredo.
Thank you for sharing😉
I am so glad to hear that!
This recipe is so simple but SO yummy! We’ve had it on our weeknight dinner rotation for a while and it’s one of our faves!
So glad to hear that!
Have made several times and everyone loved!
SO happy to hear that!
This was my first time making chicken parm! This is my go to chicken parm recipe! It was so easy and the chicken stayed nice and juicy. I actually used chicken tenders instead of breasts they came perfectly! This recipe along with a side salad and fresh garlic bread and maybe a glass of wine is my perfect night in! A WINNER and my entire family LOVED it!!!!!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Excellent! Fast and delicious. You need two eggs to properly coat the chicken breasts. I also used Rao’s marinara sauce.
So glad to hear you loved it!
I’m sure this dish would be great with alternative methods due to all the breading/seasoning sticking to the foil despite brushing it with oil. Pictures conveniently don’t show the bottom side, plus the top is smothered with cheese to see if the issue is on that side as well.
I agree,tore the crap out of the foil,even with gentle flipping,and found it didn’t crisp up too well,without me baking it for 2 hours 😅
Brush a baking sheet with oil, no foil and it will release easier. I’ve made it this way for years. Make sure pan is in middle of oven, not bottom at that high temp.
Made this. For. Dinner everyone loved it
So happy to hear that!
I made this recipe with Gluten Free Bread Crumbs and it was a hit!! Loved it
I’m so glad to hear that!
My 12 year old daughter just started really getting into cooking and made this for supper tonight. So delicious! She did an amazing job. We used my own pasta sauce recipe and had spaghetti noodles with it. Will definitely be having it again soon!
Oh yay! That is so wonderful to hear!
Loved this! I dusted the chicken with flour before dipping in egg to make the bread crumbs adhere better. Perfect results.
I tried the flour before the eggs and breading after reading your comment. It worked perfectly. I also did not use foil.
Delicious! All 6 of us are it and all 6 loved it! This RARELY happens so we will be having this recipe again soon!
So glad you all loved it!
This one is a keeper, even my picky teen loved it. She said she loved all the cheese on top! I pounded the chicken to even thickness but it took way, way longer than 15 minutes to come to 165* baked at 400*.
So glad you loved it!
SOOOOO yummy and and so easy! I used store bought marinara, but I didn’t skimp on the other ingredients, and I’m so pleased with the result. Perfectly juicy and flavorful chicken. Definitely keeping this in my rotation. Thanks for sharing!
So happy you loved it!
This is a simple, quick and delicious version of Chicken Parm. My family loved the crunchy outside of the chicken and the broiled cheese on top. I loved how easy it was and the quick clean up with the foil on the pan!
So happy to hear that!
Hi, my name is olive, I made this recipe 3 times and I want to give it 100% success Every time. Along with the other recipes I have tried, 5stars to you.!!😋
So glad you loved it!
I made this exactly as is and it was fantastic. I always overcook my chicken but that didn’t happen with this recipe.
So happy to hear that!
What is the side dish with it it looks good also
Hi Barb – it is just pasta with my 20 minute marinara sauce!
Loved this recipe. It was very easy and quick
So glad you loved it!
Everyone loved it! I did add a few more spices to the marinara sauce and used Italian bread crumbs because it’s what I had on hand. It added additional flavor as well.
So happy you liked it!
Easy base recipe. Additional spices needed to be more flavorful. Cook time was too short. We had to cook for additional 5- 10 minutes.
Wow I love the recipes. I would make it tmr
This recipe was a hit the first time I made it. Thanks for the new addition to my repertoire!
SO happy to hear that!