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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Can you bake this recipe as well? It was delcious when I pan fried it!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Kelli. You could bake it, but I’d spray with olive oil first to make sure it crisps up.
Can you use this recipe on fish I.e. tilapia or cod and bake in the oven? I’m a novice cook, however I’ve used your recipes before with much success. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Hi Randy, I think this would work nicely on fish and if you’re going to bake it, I’d suggest an oven temp of 375 degrees and to bake the fish for about 20 minutes or until it’s opaque and flakes easily. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
This chicken dish was really easy and delicious. Great dish to make for company and we all loved it! Will make this again and again.
This was fabulous and so easy to make!! I used chives in mine…I think the lemon wedges are essential…really boosts the flavor up a notch..I only had olive oil, no vegetable oil..Just curious, what does vegetable oil add to the recipe??
Hi Wendy, Either will work but olive oil is expensive so I typically will use vegetable oil if I don’t feel the flavor of olive oil is essential.
Just tried this with chicken tenderloins & everyone loved it dipped it horseradish mustard except for my picky husband. Any ideas for a sauce that good for non-spicy food lovers?
Glad it was a hit, Elizabeth! I think it’d be good with marinara sauce or even just a squeeze of lemon.
Lemon caper sauce is delicious with it
Fantastic, quick dinner. Definitely another winner!
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, Jenn! One more question. The “pile” of remaining dredged/breaded chicken is substantial. Will the finished/cooked breasts freeze well in separate small airtight containers, perhaps for use sliced over salads? If not, any other ideas?
Yes, Laura, I think these would freeze nicely!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was tender and delicious, but I had a few setbacks. My package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts weighed 3.6 pounds and had only 3 breasts, each weighing more than 1 lb. I spent an hour trimming, cutting, flattening and dredging the breasts, and after doubling all dredging ingredients for this much chicken, I ended up with too much flour, too little egg mixture and just enough bread crumb/cheese/herb mixture. Doubling the oils also was not enough. I will make this on a regular basis (it is so good), including for dinner guests, but next time, I will be better prepared.
Jenn: Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Is it okay that I refrigerated and tightly covered the remaining chicken to make it tomorrow? I had so many chicken pieces that I ran out of energy to cook it all tonight.
Glad you enjoyed it Laura despite the time involved! Yes, I think it’s perfectly fine for you to cook the remaining chicken today.
Can you use chicken thighs
Sure, Deb. 🙂
YUM! This is a simple, delicious recipe. Tonight I made it with Italian parsley this time but will be using rosemary next time, because I think that would be my favorite flavor. One of my sons thanked me for dinner and said it was especially good tonight. (That’ll always put a smile on my face.) I made the chicken with Jenn’s suggested pairing, which was also easy and tasty.
My husband will be reheating this dish when he gets home from work @ 3am. He’ll be using the microwave to reheat. I know it won’t be as crispy as mine, but I’m hoping the flavors will still be there for him.
I made the chicken with panko and added Italian seasoning. It turned out great!