Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Chicken Parmesan is a welcome reason to twirl some spaghetti and tuck into dinner. The tomato sauce and bubbling cheese make a generous top for each breaded piece of chicken. It feels familiar in a good way, especially with fresh basil over the plate.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Coat both sides
Brush and season both sides of the chicken, then turn it through the breadcrumb mixture before arranging it in the dish.
2. Warm the sauce while chicken bakes
Heat the marinara with garlic, Italian seasoning and basil while the breaded chicken cooks in the oven.
3. Watch the broiler closely
After topping the cooked chicken, keep an eye on it under the broiler as the mozzarella bubbles and begins browning.
Get to know the ingredients
Smaller chicken fillets
Small to medium breasts are listed. You can halve two large breasts lengthwise and pound them evenly.
Breadcrumb options
Italian-style breadcrumbs are listed, or plain breadcrumbs mixed with the specified Italian seasoning before adding Parmesan.
Mozzarella slices
Each cooked chicken breast gets a slice of mozzarella over its marinara before the brief broiler stage.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Serve over spaghetti
Set the sauced chicken over cooked spaghetti, with the optional cracked pepper and fresh basil on top.
A little more help as you go
Prepare the baking pan first
Lightly grease the large baking pan before the coated chicken goes in, ready for its initial oven cook.
A crispier coating option
The directions offer cooking-spray spritzes during baking, or parchment with a halfway turn, if you want extra crispness.
A few questions you might have
Does the marinara go on before the chicken bakes?
Bake the breaded chicken through first. Add the warmed marinara and mozzarella afterward, then switch to the broiler.
Where does the Parmesan go?
Mix the grated Parmesan with the breadcrumbs in the shallow dish used to coat both sides of the chicken.
Do I warm the marinara on its own?
Heat it with minced garlic, Italian seasoning and chopped basil in the saucepan while the chicken bakes.
Should the spaghetti already be cooked for serving?
Yes. Cook the spaghetti according to its package instructions, then serve it underneath the finished chicken Parmesan.
Can I add basil at the table?
Extra fresh basil is included as an optional topping, in addition to the basil already stirred into the warm sauce.
Any more cooking tips?
The chicken: if you only have large, you can cut 2 large breasts in half lengthwise to make four smaller fillets, pounded to even thickness
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
