Authentic Italian Chicken Parmigiana

Authentic Italian Chicken Parmigiana recipe requires only a few simple ingredients to make it stand out: Parmesan, Mozzarella, delicious herb mixture and olive oil. Pan-fried chicken breasts are juicy, tender, and full of flavor.

Sometimes chicken recipes all start to blend together and feel the same, but not this cheesy Baked Chicken Parmesan. The chicken is coated in bread crumbs to achieve a crispy golden crust and then baked to perfection in classic Marinara tomato sauce. So easy to serve it with Garlic-Butter-Spaghetti! You might also like Parmesan Crusted Chicken.

What is Chicken Parmigiana

"Parmigiana" is the Italian term, which is sometimes Americanized into "parmesan" or shortened to "parm" when referring to the Italian-American version of the dish, made with breaded chicken, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese.

While the dish has Italian roots, it was developed by Italian immigrants in North America around the 1950s. The recipe was by eggplant parmesan, but Italian immigrants substituted more readily available and affordable chicken or veal, for the traditional eggplant. 

There is no difference between chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana; they are simply two names for the same dish. 

Why you'll love this recipe

Simplicity - A good Chicken Parmigiana does require quite a bit in the way of seasoning and shredded cheese, but I've kept things super simple in this recipe. This classic Italian-American food doesn't get much easier than this!

Simply fry breaded chicken breasts and then top them with marinara sauce and melted cheeses: Mozzarella and Parmesan. The coating is very crispy and easy to prepare!

Primary Components of Chicken Parmesan

• Chicken: Use thinly sliced chicken breasts or boneless & skinless chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise so that they coat evenly and cook faster.
• Breading: The cutlets are dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and coated with a breadcrumb mixture.
• Sauce: A rich marinara sauce is essential.
• Cheese: A combination of Mozzarella and Parmesan (our two stars) added on top.
• Garlic or garlic powder: Fresh minced garlic or garlic powder along with salt add flavor directly to the cutlets.
• Olive oil and butter: For pan frying chicken and delicious flavor.

How to make chicken parmigiana

Prep work: First prepare 3 wide plates, or bowls for dredging chicken cutlets. You can also use plates.

• Parmesan cheese bowl.
• Whisked egg bowl.
• Seasoning mixture bowl. Be generous with seasoning!

Coat the chicken: Next you will coat chicken cutlets by dipping each chicken breast in every bowl/plate.

• Evenly coat and pack breadcrumbs lightly with your hand.
• Shake off any excess breading and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Pan fry the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or pan and brown chicken for 3 minutes on each side, for a total of 6 minutes for both sides. I browned 2 chicken cutlets at a time to avoid overcrowding and too much moisture being released.

Add cheese: Once you pan fry the chicken, layer each chicken breast with Mozzarella cheese.

Add Marinara sauce: Cover each chicken breast with a good amount of Marinara sauce. Of course, you can also top the chicken cutlets with the sauce first, and cheese on top, but I found that cheese first method makes Chicken parm taste juicier.

Add Parm: Sprinkle generously with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Bake: Bake chicken Parmesan in the same pan you pan-fried it in for about 30 minutes at 375 F. until cheese is melted and chicken is fully cooked.

Pro Tips

Season generously: Because chicken breasts have a mild flavor, they need to be generously seasoned to impart enough flavor. I seasoned the chicken with plenty of Italian seasoning (thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil) salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Use thin chicken breasts: For chicken Parmesan you can use either regular chicken breast or thin chicken cutlets. Just make sure to slice thick chicken breasts horizontally in half.

Substitutions and variations

Breadcrumbs: If you do not wish to use breadcrumbs, you can substitute with almond flour, cracker crumbs, old-fashion oats, or crushed corn flakes. I also saw some stores carry gluten free breading crumbs made from chickpeas.

Chicken breasts: You can replace chicken breasts with chicken tenders to make smaller version of the recipe.

Red wine: For an elegant touch, swap the ½ cup of marinara sauce with a red wine.

What to serve Chicken Parmigiana with

• You can't go wrong serving it with Garlic Butter Spaghetti or Homemade Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
• Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans is also a nice touch.
• You can also serve Chicken Parmigiana with a side of Avocado and Tomato Salad or Olive Garden Copycat Salad.

Leftovers and storage

• Chicken Parmigiana will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container.
• Reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat so the sauce doesn't break, and add a splash of red wine or pasta sauce to revive the sauce if needed.
• Freeze individual chicken parmesan portions in separate zip lock bags. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on stove top
• Make leftover chicken into a sandwich: I also frequently make this classic Italian dish into a Chicken Parmesan sandwich. A crispy breaded chicken cutlet is placed between a nice crusty bread and topped with classic Marinara and cheese! Underneath all that bubbly cheese, you will bite into a tender chicken breast.

Once you make this, you must also try Italian Chicken Pasta as well! And for dessert, I highly recommend Panettone Bread Pudding.

More delicious chicken recipes

Baked Curry Chicken

Peri Peri Chicken

Baked Ranch Chicken

Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breast

Herb Roasted Chicken in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Enjoy!