Baked Chicken Parmesan

Baked chicken Parmesan is a lower-fat, but still tasty, twist on the familiar Italian-American classic. Realistically, even the healthiest of cooking oils add a generous number of calories to your food. That’s why a recipe for baked Parmesan chicken belongs in everyone’s repertoire.

This recipe trades the mess, smell and hot fat of fried chicken for the convenience of oven baking. Not only is baking less fussy, it’s a lot safer if you have young kids or pets in the house.

Ingredients for Baked Chicken Parmesan

• Egg: The egg here serves as a binder, helping the bread crumbs and seasonings adhere to the chicken breasts.
• Panko bread crumbs: Panko-style bread crumbs have larger pieces than conventional bread crumbs, so they give the chicken a better crunch.
• Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese is a signature ingredient in this dish, bringing its bold flavor and a hit of savory umami to the breading.
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder: The dry seasonings round out the flavor of the breading, enhancing both the chicken and the sauce.
• Chicken breasts: The boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves make for a hearty, satisfying meal.
• Cooking spray: A misting of olive-oil-flavored cooking spray helps the bread crumbs brown, without the heaviness of frying in oil. It also keeps the chicken from sticking to the pan.
• Broccoli florets: Broccoli roasts nicely on the same pan as the chicken breasts, providing a no-fuss vegetable side dish.
• Marinara sauce: A splash of marinara sauce over each chicken breast adds flavor and moisture, and also complements whichever starchy side dish you serve with the chicken.
• Mozzarella cheese: While Parmesan provides a key flavor, the shredded mozzarella is here to provide its mild, melty gooeyness.
• Fresh basil (optional): The minced fresh basil is not absolutely required, but it makes a beautiful garnish and a tasty addition to the dish.

Directions

Step 1: Bread the chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a shallow bowl, whisk the egg until it’s well beaten. In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dip a chicken breast in the beaten egg, allowing any excess to drip off. Dip the breast into the bread crumb mixture, patting it gently to help the crumb coating adhere. Repeat with the remaining chicken, then place the chicken breasts in the middle third of the sheet pan, and spritz them with cooking spray.

Step 2: Cook the chicken and broccoli

Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven. Spread the broccoli florets in a single layer along both sides of the pan (if you’re using frozen broccoli, separate the pieces). Return the pan to the oven, bake for another 10 minutes, then remove the pan again.

Step 3: Add the sauce and cheese, then broil

Preheat the broiler. Pour the marinara sauce evenly over the chicken breasts, then top them with shredded mozzarella. Broil the chicken and broccoli 3 to 4 inches from the heat until the cheese is golden brown and the broccoli is tender, three to five minutes. Before serving, sprinkle on the basil leaves, if desired.

Baked Chicken Parmesan Variations

• Make kid-friendly tenders: A 6-ounce chicken breast is a large portion for kids or anyone with a smaller appetite. As an alternative, consider making this recipe with chicken tenders, or cutting the breasts into tender-size strips. Otherwise, the process is very much the same, but the strips will cook in just 10 to 15 minutes. That means you’ll need to add the broccoli to your pan at the beginning, instead of after 10 minutes.
• Fry the chicken breasts: With any chicken Parmesan recipe, baked is lighter than fried. But it’s perfectly okay, once in a while, to run with classic fried chicken Parm instead. If your oil is hot enough, it will be surprisingly light, and “oven frying” simply can’t match the golden color and crunch you’ll get this way. For a change of pace, swap out the marinara for tonkatsu sauce, and now you have Japanese-style chicken katsu.
• Go meatless: Chicken Parmesan itself is an adaptation of the older (and more authentic) eggplant Parmesan. The technique is almost exactly the same, and it’s a tasty option if you occasionally do meatless Monday. For a fully vegan version, swap the egg for egg replacer or buttermilk, the Parmesan for nutritional yeast, and the mozzarella for a plant-based equivalent.

How to Store Baked Chicken Parmesan

Any leftover chicken Parmesan should be packed into an airtight, food-safe container after the meal. Refrigerate it as soon as possible, for the best storage life. It’s okay to leave the lid open for the first hour or two, for faster cooling.

How long will chicken Parmesan keep?

If your chicken was fresh when you bought it, and if you refrigerated it immediately after the meal, it will stay reliably food safe for three to four days.

Can I make baked chicken Parmesan ahead of time?

You have a couple of options. You can bread the chicken up to several hours ahead, then finish the dish when mealtime rolls around. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken to the end of Step 2, then refrigerate it until mealtime. Then you’ll pick up where you left off, with the broiling stage (you’ll need to cook the broccoli separately). Once the chicken is sauced, its breading will start to become soggy, so it’s best to keep them separate until the last minute.

Can I freeze chicken Parmesan?

Sure! Your best bet is to make up the breaded breasts, then lay them on a parchment-lined sheet pan in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, pack them into freezer bags or airtight freezer-safe food containers. They’re best when cooked from frozen, because thawing makes the breading soggy. You’ll need to add approximately 10 minutes to their cooking time, and ideally check them with an instant-read thermometer to be sure they reach their food-safe target temperature of 165°.

Baked Chicken Parmesan Tips

How can I make the breading process not so messy?

There’s a process to doing it neatly. Set up the chicken breasts, your two bowls and the sheet pan on your work surface. If you’re right-handed, it’s best to have the raw chicken on the left, and your pan on the right (the reverse for southpaws). Use your left hand to dip the breast in the egg and then the crumbs. Use your (dry, clean) right hand to move the now-coated breast to the pan. This way, only one hand gets messy with raw egg and chicken juices. Because your dominant hand stays clean, you’re less likely to absent-mindedly cross-contaminate the rest of your meal. For a visual of how it’s supposed to look, check out this guide to breading chicken.

Can I use pre-seasoned Italian-style bread crumbs?

You bet! The seasonings in most brands of Italian-style bread crumbs are fine to use with chicken, and they usually already include Parmesan cheese (you can add more, just to be sure). Their texture will be finer than with panko, and the crunch won’t be as satisfying, but it’s still a great meal.

What can I serve with this baked chicken Parmesan recipe?

If you want to keep it simple, a thick slab of garlic bread works just fine as an accompaniment. Alternatively, you might serve it over a bowl of pasta (with extra marinara) or soft polenta. If you’d like a lower-carb alternative, it’s just as good over a bed of riced cauliflower, konjac pasta, spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.