Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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Parmesan crusted chicken is easy enough to make for a busy weeknight but also special enough for company.
Parmesan crusted chicken is a great chicken dish to add to your repertoire. It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner but also special enough for company, and it appeals to the whole family. Kids especially love it because it bears some resemblance to chicken fingers. For adults, try topping it with a heaping pile of lemony arugula salad. There are two secrets to success: first, pounding the chicken breasts to an even 1/4-inch thickness tenderizes the meat and ensures even cooking; second, a three-step breading method ensures that the coating adheres to the meat while it cooks, resulting in a crispy crust and juicy interior every time.
For a variation on this recipe, try my easy parmesan chicken, which uses a similar breading and pan-frying technique but is then baked topped with marinara sauce and cheese, or chicken piccata, which is served with a lemon and caper sauce. For a vegetarian option, you can follow the directions for breading and frying eggplant in my eggplant parmesan recipe.
Table of Contents
“This chicken was excellent. Crispy on the outside and super tender and juicy inside. My husband loved it.”
What You’ll Need To Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set up three large shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put the flour in the first bowl.
Beat the eggs in the second bowl.
Finally, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs in the third bowl.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Dredge the first chicken breast in the flour and shake off the excess until just a light coating remains.
Next, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and turn to coat evenly, letting any excess egg drip off.
Finally, dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, turning a few times to coat well. Set breaded chicken on a plate and repeat until all of the chicken breasts are breaded.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the first side is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking until done, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Video Tutorial
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Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Parmesan crusted chicken is easy enough to make for a busy weeknight but also special enough for company.
Ingredients
For Breading
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs (I use Progresso)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, chives or rosemary
For Chicken
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), pounded ¼"-thick (see note)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Set up three large shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put the flour in the first bowl; beat the eggs in the second bowl; and mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs in the third bowl.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge the first chicken breast in the flour and shake off the excess until just a light coating remains. Next, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and turn to coat evenly, letting any excess egg drip off. Finally, dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, turning a few times to coat well. Set breaded chicken on a plate and repeat until all of the chicken breasts are breaded.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the first side is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking until done, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
- Note: If chicken breasts are large (8 or more ounces), it's best to cut them in half once they are pounded out. Alternatively, you can cut them in half horizontally before pounding.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 562
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 48g
- Sodium: 1218mg
- Cholesterol: 223mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This chicken was excellent. Crispy on the outside and super tender and juicy inside. My husband loved it. It was quick and easy to make as well. This will definitely be added to my top recipes! Thank you Jennifer! Five stars.
Was delicious. The only thing that puzzled me is that the delicious breading came off when cutting the chicken. Maybe it needed to rest first. Either way, thank you. Will be making it again.
Hi, Jen. We absolutely love this dish, and it makes such a wonderful meal, and the arugula salad is fantastic with it. I was wondering what you thought about making it in an air fryer? Do you think it would work, or shouldn’t I mess with perfection? Thank you, too, for all your other delicious recipes and tips.
Hi Susan, Glad you like this! I don’t own an air fryer so unfortunately, I can’t tell you confidently whether or not this would work in one. These tips may help you to convert this and other recipes for your air fryer. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Thanks for your reply, Jen. If I try it, I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thank you for the link to the tips, too.
This was delicious! My children kept going back for more, which felt so good to see. We paired it with some lemon orzo and a great salad, and it was perfect. Thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight, and it was a hit with my family! I used Italian seasoned panko crumbs which produced an awesome crunchy breading. I didn’t have fresh herbs on hand, so I used a tsp of ‘Little Italy’ seasoning blend from The Spice House. This will go into the rotation for sure! Thanks for another keeper, Jen!
With storms all over the country and my guests having to cancel their plans at the last minute, I am left with a lot of chicken breasts that I had been frozen and defrosted. I will use your recipe and freeze the cooked chicken. How do you suggest I reheat at the appropriate time?
That’s so disappointing! Glad you’ve come up with a backup plan for the chicken. I would reheat them on a baking sheet at 325°F until heated through. They won’t be quite as crispy as when you first made them, but they should still be good.
Yes, I made this recipe! It was so easy and perfectly delicious. My husband loved it too. I did make a little change. I used a beaten egg to dip the chicken in. It was great!
Loved this recipe. The only thing I did different was add a bunch of garlic. So good.
Loved this! We had been making another recipe that was similar but it wasn’t near as flavourful as the parmesan and herbs add to this dish.
Simply wonderful and EASY to make. Thank you Jen.
Hi Jen, can I use panko crumbs instead of bread? Tenders instead of breast? Thanks in advance!
Yes and yes – hope you enjoy!
This sounds a lot like a recipe that I “invented” a while ago — a couple of changes that I have made: I use boneless/skinless thighs, panko instead of regular bread crumbs, dried thyme and oregano and a grated clove of garlic in the panko/cheese mix. Because I live alone, I make 6 or 8; however many thighs are in the package at a time. I don’t cook them quite all the way; I wrap each one once it’s cool and put them in a container in the freezer. Such an easy dinner when I defrost one, put it in a 325 oven for 10 minutes or so and, voila, dinner.
Thanks for so many great recipes, Jen.
Peggy