Chicken Parmesan

Baked chicken parmesan that’s tender and juicy inside and crispy on the outside. Adults and kids alike LOVE this Italian classic.

We don’t really see Chicken Parmesan in Italian restaurants in the UK. If I do see it though, that’s what I’m ordering.
It’s that perfect combo of crispy chicken with rich marinara sauce, stretchy melted mozzarella and a nice big pile of spaghetti.
Carbs+Fat+Salt+Crunch+Tang – it’s got it all!!

I’ve got to admit, when I first had Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti, I thought it looked a little strange.
I don’t know if it’s a UK thing, but a big piece of chicken just doesn’t seem right with spaghetti. Spaghetti goes with meat sauce or meatballs, and big pieces of chicken go with chips!
And using a knife when you’re eating a spaghetti dish? I don’t know, it just seems wrong.
I have to chop all the pieces of chicken up first – like I’m a three-year-old-child. That way I can discard that erroneous knife and eat spaghetti like it should be eaten.

So what do we need to make this dinner classic?

How to make it (full instructions and quantities in recipe card below).

We start with the marinara sauce. Soften the onion in a little olive oil in a pan, then add garlic, passata, oregano and sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.

• For the chicken, we only need two big chicken breasts to serve 4 people. Each breast is sliced through the middle to make 4 equal-sized thin fillets.
• We dust with flour, dip in egg, then coat in a mixture of panko, paprika, salt, pepper, parmesan and olive oil.
  • Adding olive oil to the panko mixture is a GREAT way to ensure a lovely, even golden crispness. So long as you give the panko a good stir, each piece will be coated in the olive oil, without it all clumping together. Trust me, you get a much better, even result (and use less oil), then breading the chicken and drizzling with oil.
• Once they’re coated they’re baked for an initial 10 minutes.

• Then we take the chicken out of the oven, cover the base of your baking dish with ¾ of the marinara sauce, and place the chicken back on top.
• Spoon a little of the sauce on each piece of chicken (not too much – you want that chicken to be crispy and it will go soggy if you coat it in sauce), then top the chicken with mozzarella (I use sliced, but grated/shredded is fine too), parmesan and a pinch of oregano.
• Bake to 15-20 mins until the cheese is melty and bubbling. Serve the chicken with cooked spaghetti a little fresh basil.

What to serve with Chicken Parmesan

Traditionally it’s served with spaghetti but you can serve it in lots of different ways if you fancy a change. How about:

• Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Boiled rice
• Potato wedges from this recipe
• Baked parmesan carrot fries

Swap out the chicken for:

• Pork steaks – cut off visible fat first, as the coating will hide it, so you might end up biting into a big fatty piece.
• Sliced aubergine/eggplant. Most auberigine parmigiana dishes are made into a kind of layered bake, but you can make it in the same way as my recipe, replacing the chicken like-for-like with thick slices of aubergine that have been lightly scored.
• Fish – White fish like haddock and cod work great! They need a less cooking time, so it’s best to use thick fillets of fish so they’re not overcooked. Also, bake for 5 minutes initially in the breadcrumbs, then for 10-12 minute for the second time in the oven with the sauce (ensure the fish is piping hot throughout).
• Quorn or firm tofu – replace like-for-like with the chicken
• Halloumi – as halloumi is quite salty, I would leave the salt out of the breadcrumb coating. Make in the same way you would the chicken parmesan, but cook for about 5-10 minutes less than you would when it’s in the sauce. Just cook until the mozzarella has melted. This is so the halloumi doesn’t dry out.

The Video:

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5 from 6 votes

Chicken Parmesan

By Nicky Corbishley

Chicken Parmesan

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce:

• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion peeled and finely diced
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 400 g (14 oz) passata
• ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 tsp sugar

Chicken:

• ▢ 2 large chicken breasts
• ▢ 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 75 g (1 1/2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 tsp paprika optional - but gives the breaded chicken a lovely rich colour
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper
• ▢ 75 g (3/4 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 ball (4.4 oz or 125 g) mozzarella sliced
• ▢ ¼ tsp dried oregano

To Serve:

• ▢ cooked spaghetti
• ▢ 2 tbsp sliced fresh basil

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan) and put a large baking dish to one side.
• Start with the marinara sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often until softened.
  1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
• Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
  1 clove garlic
• Add the passata, oregano and sugar. Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  400 g (14 oz) passata, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp sugar
• Meanwhile, prepare the chicken. Place the chicken breasts flat on a board and slice in half through the middle, so you have 4 equal-sized thin fillets. Dust on both sides with the flour.
  2 large chicken breasts, 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
• Add the eggs to a bowl and give them a quick whisk.
  2 eggs
• Add the panko, paprika, salt, pepper, half the parmesan, and the olive oil to a second bowl. Stir together until the panko is evenly coated in the oil.
  75 g (1 1/2 cups) panko breadcrumbs, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 75 g (3/4 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp olive oil
• Dip a chicken fillet in the egg to coat, then dip in the breadcrumbs on both sides until completely covered. Place in the large baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken fillets, so the chicken fillets are placed in a single layer in the baking dish.
• Place in the oven for 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
• Take the chicken out of the oven and pour 3/4 of the marinara sauce around the chicken. Lift up each piece of chicken with a spatula so the sauce spreads and covers the base of the dish and the chicken is sitting on top.
• Top the chicken fillets with the remaining marinara sauce. Arrange the slices of mozzarella on top of the chicken and sprinkle on the remaining parmesan and the dried oregano.
  1 ball (4.4 oz or 125 g) mozzarella, 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is golden and piping hot throughout.
• Serve the chicken with cooked spaghetti and sprinkle on fresh basil before serving.
  cooked spaghetti, 2 tbsp sliced fresh basil

Video

Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Yes you can, but it needs a couple of changes to ensure your chicken is still lovely and crispy. You’ll need to store the chicken and sauce separately, then assemble and cover in cheese when you’re ready to cook:
Fully cook the crispy chicken first (about 20-25 minutes in the oven – until it’s no longer pink in the middle). Then cool and cover it.
Make the marinara, and cool and cover it.
Place both the covered containers in the refrigerator for up to two days.
When you’re ready to cook it, cover the base of a baking dish with ¾ of the marinara sauce, top with the chicken and spoon a little of the sauce on each piece of chicken. Arrange the mozzarella on top and sprinkle with parmesan, then bake, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is hot throughout.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, similar to the make ahead answer, you’ll need to make a couple of changes to ensure your chicken is still lovely and crispy. You’ll need to store the chicken and sauce separately, then, defrost, assemble and cover in cheese when you’re ready to cook:
Fully cook the crispy chicken first (about 20-25 minutes in the oven – until it’s no longer pink in the middle). Then cool and cover it.
Make the marinara, and cool and cover it.
Place both the covered containers in the freezer.
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to cook it, cover the base of a baking dish with ¾ of the marinara sauce, top with the chicken and spoon a little of the sauce on each piece of chicken. Arrange the mozzarella on top and sprinkle with parmesan, then bake, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is hot throughout.

Can I make more sauce?

Yes, if I want more sauce, I simply add in more passata (keeping the rest of the ingredients the same). That works if you’re just looking for 50% more sauce.
If you want double the sauce, then double all of the ingredients in the marinara recipe.

Can I make it gluten free?

Yes! Use gluten free breadcrumbs (dried or fresh), gluten free plain (all-purpose) flour and gluten free spaghetti.
Ensure the passata is gluten free (it often is) and if you’re using ready-grated/shredded cheese, ensure it’s gluten free too (sometimes it has flour in it to stop it from clumping).

Nutritional information is per serving, not including spaghetti.

Nutrition

Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 925mg | Potassium: 1001mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1315IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 453mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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