Easy Chicken Parmesan
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Making traditional chicken parmesan can be quite time-consuming, but this weeknight-friendly version incorporates a few smart shortcuts, so you can have a delicious meal on the table in just 45 minutes!
Chicken parmesan is a major family pleaser, but the traditional recipe can be time-consuming to make. Between the homemade tomato sauce and pounding, breading, and pan-frying the chicken — not to mention melting the cheese over the chicken in the oven — the classic preparation takes well over an hour and leaves you with a sinkful of dishes. This easy recipe incorporates a few smart shortcuts, like using good-quality jarred sauce and chicken tenderloins, making it totally doable on a weeknight. You’ll notice that I don’t smother the chicken with sauce and cheese; this keeps the crust crispy (and you can always serve more sauce on the side).
Chicken parm is a great dish to serve when you have people over since much of the prep can be done ahead of time. It pairs well with pasta, polenta, spaghetti squash (see how to cook spaghetti squash), an arugula salad, or roasted broccoli.
Table of Contents
“Huge hit with the family! Seasoning, moisture, crispness all on point…This is some really great chicken.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken tenderloins: While most recipes call for boneless skinless chicken breasts, which need to be sliced in half horizontally and pounded thin, I use chicken tenderloins, which can be quickly flattened with the palm of your hand to ensure even, quick cooking. Unlike the ready-to-cook thinly sliced chicken cutlets you find at the store, they are guaranteed to be tender and juicy.
- Marinara Sauce: Since the recipe only calls for 1-1/2 cups of sauce, I recommend using a good-quality jarred marinara sauce, such as Rao’s or Victoria).
- Panko: Japanese-style panko creates a feathery, crisp crust, and it also stays crispy long after it is cooked, so you don’t have to pan-fry the chicken at the very last minute.
- Fontina Cheese: While mozzarella cheese is usually called for in chicken parmesan recipes, I prefer fontina, a semisoft cheese with a buttery, nutty flavor. Fontina stays gooey after it’s melted, while mozzarella tends to turn rubbery as soon as it comes out of the oven. Most large supermarkets carry Swedish or Danish fontina (with a red wax rind), which is ideal for cooking. If you can’t find it, shredded whole milk mozzarella is fine.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep and Bread the Chicken
Begin by prepping the tenderloins. You may notice a white tendon at the end of the tenderloin. Go ahead and trim it off with a knife or kitchen shears. Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten the tenderloins so that they are an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Season the flattened chicken all over with 1-1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
In a large shallow bowl (I use a pie plate), combine the panko, 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, the oregano, the thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps of cheese.
Place the flour in another shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in a third bowl. Set up a breading station in this order: flour, eggs, panko. Dredge the chicken in the flour; dip in the eggs, letting any excess drip off; then dredge in the panko mixture.
Place the breaded chicken on a lined baking sheet. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point, covered, and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead of time. The breaded tenders can also be frozen for up to 3 months.)
Step 2: Pan-Fry the Chicken
In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 1/8 inch of oil over medium heat until shimmering. Place 5 or 6 tenders in the pan in a single layer.
Cook until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner, adding additional oil only if necessary.
Step 3: Top the Chicken with Cheese and Broil
Place the cooked chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the fontina and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano over the center of the chicken tenderloins, leaving the sides bare so that they remain crispy.
Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4: Serve
Warm the marinara sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. With store-bought sauce, I find a generous pinch of sugar and some fresh basil go a long way.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the marinara sauce over the cheese, again leaving the sides bare so that they stay crispy. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
You May Also Like
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Chicken Marsala
- Chicken Piccata
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Marry Me Chicken
Chicken Parmesan
Making traditional chicken parmesan can be quite time-consuming, but this weeknight-friendly version incorporates a few smart shortcuts, so you can have a delicious meal on the table in just 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1½ cups panko
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup flour
- 3 large eggs
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1½ cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce, best quality such as Rao's or Victoria
- 6 oz fontina, shredded (about 1½ cups)
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears, trim off any white tendons at the ends of the tenderloins. Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten the tenderloins so that they are an even ¼-inch thickness. Season the chicken all over with 1¼ teaspoons of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper.
- In a large shallow bowl, combine the panko, ¾ cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, the oregano, the thyme, the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps of cheese.
- Place the flour in another shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in a third bowl. Set up a breading station in this order: flour, eggs, panko. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up. Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating evenly; dip in the eggs, letting any excess drip off; then dredge in the panko mixture, turning and patting to adhere. Place the breaded chicken on the prepared baking sheet. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point, covered, and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead of time.)
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack about 4 inches from the heating element. Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking (with store-bought sauce, I find a generous pinch of sugar and fresh basil go a long way). Cover and keep warm.
- Line another baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment for easy clean up; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, heat about ⅛ inch of oil over medium heat until shimmering. Place 5 or 6 tenders in the pan in a single layer and cook until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Place the cooked chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner, adding additional oil only if necessary. You may need to lower the the heat as you go, so that the chicken doesn't brown before it is cooked through.
- Sprinkle the fontina and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano over the center of the chicken tenderloins, leaving the sides bare so that they remain crispy. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the marinara sauce over the cheese, again leaving the sides bare so that they stay crispy. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The chicken tenders can be breaded and refrigerated up to 8 hours before pan-frying. The chicken is best and crispiest when fried right before baking, but it can also be fried up to 4 hours in advance and refrigerated. Reheat the chicken in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes, before adding the cheese and proceeding with the recipe.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The breaded cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze the chicken on the baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour, then transfer to a resealable freezer bag or layer in an airtight container with sheets of parchment between the tenders. Defrost in the refrigerator before cooking.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (About 12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 piece
- Calories: 410
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Sodium: 751 mg
- Cholesterol: 101 mg
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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Comments
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Not sure I’d call this “easy” due to all the steps involved but it is FANTASTIC!!!!! My pack of tenderloins had a LOT of small, thin strips so that made this more labor intensive for me. I’m hoping the more I fix this, the easier it will seem. :o) Thank you for another great recipe Jenn!! XOXO
Very tasty, liked the instructions on how to keep it crispy. A bit of prep involved but worth it. I used chicken breasts pounded thin but tenders would be much easier. The chicken was very moist.
This turned out really good and I followed the recipe exactly. Loved the fontina for mozzarella swap. Much better texture. Using tenders and hand pressing them just genius. My family loved this. On regular rotation.
Hi Jenn, first of all I’d like to thank you for your fabulous recipes: I made several desserts recipes that I have read here and they were all delicious.
I just have a request: I am italian, I live in Italy and I appreciated when I saw you always say to buy real Parmigiano, real mozzarella and so on, so I hope you will not take my words wrong.
Please, please, please don’t serve breaded chicken with pasta! I can stand reading the chicken parmesan recipe (it’s not an italian recipe, no restaurant in Italy would serve it, it’s an italian american recipe, made by italian immigrants in the USA, I guess…), but even if I would cover breaded chicken with sauce and cheese, I’d never eat it in the same plate with pasta.
I hope you are not offended by my words, it’s just that in the internet or on tv I see so many recipes (or ways to cook things) that in America you think are italian, and they are not…
Anyway, you are always my best choice when I want to bake muffins, or Kentucky butter cake, or a peach cobbler 😉
Anna, Italy
Hi Anna, thanks for your nice words about the recipes — so glad you like them! And I appreciate your honest comments about serving chicken parm with pasta — that’s definitely more of an American tradition. I definitely appreciate that the two would never be served together in Italy! 🙂
Going to make this for Sunday dinner this weekend. Avoiding carbs (dr. suggestion) substituting roasted Asparagus for pasta.
Gave it pre five stars because never cooked one of your recipes that wasn’t five stars.
Hi there! For starters, this recipe is delicious. Thank you for sharing. I haven’t made this in awhile, but am looking to make it soon. I want to freeze half of it when I make it and I read the freeze ahead instructions but am confused. Do I freeze it before cooking it or after? Please let me know when you can. Thanks so much!
So glad you like this! The chicken should be cooked before you freeze it. I’ll clarify that in the recipe. 🙂
My husband said this was the best chicken he has ever eaten prepared this way- better than his Italian mother’s chicken! I have to agree- it was delicious! However, I do think it is a bit labor intensive, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time and be sure to plan out your sides. You wont be disappointed- can’t get chicken this good in any restaurant!
this recipe turned out awesome thank you mam
I breaded too much chicken….can I freeze them already coated?
BTW, made the parm for dinner tonight with a salad and rosemary bread. A keeper for sure. Thanks..
Hi Charlotte, I haven’t frozen it breaded but uncooked, but I think it should be okay. (And glad you enjoyed it!)
You knocked another one out of the park with this recipe. I needed something for dinner and had a few thin sliced chicken breasts lying around, and this recipe was perfect. I love that your blog is straightforward, easy to follow and offers useful tips and variations. I had never made chicken parm before, and this came out great. I had never heard of putting the parm in the breading, but love it!
My family and I love this! It’s delicious. What are some other carb options besides Focaccia that you would recommend that would pair nicely with this? Thanks!!
Glad you all like this! This would also pair nicely with this arugula salad, big Italian salad, garlicky roasted broccoli, or roasted cauliflower. Hope that helps!
I like your ideas for the roasted broccoli and cauliflower! I wouldn’t have thought of those ideas. And thank you for posting the links. My husband and I love your blog (he just said yesterday what a good writer you are. Your blog and cookbooks are a blessing to my family. And one of my favorite things to do on your blog is to scroll down under the recipe and see what ideas you have to pair with it. I like how you have ideas what to pair together in your cookbook too under the title of the recipe, and reference the page number. Thank you for always answering my questions about pairing together different recipes.
💗
This was easy and delicious! Loved the crispy coating with melted cheese! Will be making this again and again! Thanks Jenn!
My family and I loved it! Easy to prepare and delicious.
We loved this dish. I halved the recipe and put 4 breaded tenders in the freezer for another meal later. Since I halved all the ingredients, I used only 1 egg and it was plenty. Another reader suggested only 2 not 3 eggs for the full recipe. Juicy and tender and crispy. Perfecto!
I’ve been on other recipe sites where they give you the option of printing without printing the photo on the recipe. It would be nice if you could offer that. Saves space and ink. Thanks.
Hi Nanci, Thanks for your comment. I will add that to my list of potential enhancements to the blog.
Hi Nanci, Just an update – this feature has been added. 🙂
Is Italian fontina ok to use? I haven’t seen the Swedish or Danish kind.
Yep 👍
I made this for my family last night and it was wonderful. Definitely a keeper!! Thanks Jen!!
My husband said it was the best chicken parmesan he’s ever had! This turned out so well and was quite easy. The chicken tenderloins were perfect for this.
Honestly, this is one of the BEST chicken recipes I’ve ever tried! My family loved it!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe😃
I love this recipe – all my nieces and nephews love it too. But in particular I am coveting your pretty pie plates. I’m going on a pie plate hunt!
I’ve commented on this before, but this is the best chicken parmesan! It’s so good my husband requested it for his birthday dinner. 🙂
Very good! I used regular chicken breasts that I brined first. I also used homemade mozzarella instead of fontina as that tends to stay nice and creamy.
Wow, this was crispy and really delicious! I’m always a little scared to use more than a tablespoon or two of oil on the stove top, but I followed Jenn’s directions, and this was easy and delicious. And way crunchier than I’ve ever been able to make them in the oven! Thanks for another great recipe!
This was a huge hit! Made as written. Kid friendly. Everyone loved it. The flavor in the crust did it for me. I thought I made enough to have sandwiches the next day but no such luck!
I’ve been making Chicken Parmesan for years. I HATE pounding out chicken breasts, eliminating that step by using chicken tenders is brilliant! This version is the easiest and the tastiest. This is now my standard Chicken Parm recipe!
Made this tonight as written and it was excellent! Only thing I didn’t have on hand was the fresh basil and I’m sure it would just enhance the dish further. The breading on the chicken was perfect and I loved that the fontina didn’t look like a rubbery mess like the mozzarella does. Definitely my new go to chicken parm recipe.
I made this as written…very good! I could have gotten away with one less egg and less panko about 1/3 went to waste. Thank you for another great recipe!
Fantastic recipe. My husband requests this one frequently! We have freezer meals for my husband’s lunches and this one is just as good (if not better since Italian is always better the next days) after being frozen and reheated!
Hi Jen, Would this recipe turn out equally well if I baked the breaded tenderloins instead of frying: If so, what temperature would you recommend and baking time?
I really think these are best fried. That said, you could probably bake them if you spray them with a generous amount of oil first. Place them on a baking rack over a sheet pan so they can brown on both sides. I’d bake at 350 degrees and start checking them at 20 minutes. They may take longer but 20 minutes is a good place to start. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hands down the best Chicken Parm I’ve made! The whole family loves this recipe.
Just fantastic! I was looking for a way to use my first pick of basil with just my on-hand pantry ingredients. I’ve never made chicken Parm that wasn’t baked with the sauce, which ends up being soggy and heavy. Appreciated being able to prep the chicken ahead of time and finish in the oven to keep it tender and crispy. I made Lydia Bastianich’s marinara sauce, which really doesn’t take much time and is worth it. So fresh tasting! I only had parmesan cheese, but didn’t miss the additional fontina. Served with, broccoli, parmesan couscous and extra sauce on the side. Big hit! Thank Jenn. ♥️
I made this Chicken Parmesan for dinner this evening and my husband LOVED it! He said “lets add this one to the recurring menu!” I did have the heat a little too high at first when frying the chicken, so I made sure to keep it turned down for the second batch. Thank you for another delish recipe, Jenn. You create marvelous recipes and my family and I appreciate it very much! It’s teaching me to be a better cook every day!
Hi Jennifer,
I’m looking for a nice veal parmigiana recipe. I have made your easy chicken Parmesan many times and love it. Do you think this would work well for veal?
Thank you.
Jan 🇨🇦
Sure, I think this would work with veal. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi! My family loves all your recipes! Where can I find the Japanese style breadcrumbs? I’m having trouble locating them. I’m in Chicago suburbs.
Thank you!
Hi Gina, so glad you like the recipes! You should be able to panko at most grocery stores near the traditional bread crumbs. If not, you could get away with using regular bread crumbs here.
Wanted to eat this but didn’t feel like cooking. Made it anyway for my husband and step son who is visiting. Served it with whole wheat spaghettini and the extra marinara. And your Caesar salad. They both had seconds. I’m a hero and in a much better mood. Thank you!!
Made this last night will definitely be adding this meal to our dinner rotation. Great for weeknight and special occasions. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Very tasty and simple. Reheated quite easily, even in the microwave. I love how you considered the integrity of the crust in this version; the sauce as a last step also makes this dish quite doable for to-go lunches–just reheat the chicken at work in the microwave and pour on some cold marinara sauce (sacrilege, I know, but it’s better this way). Good with a light side salad, as this is a very greasy dish. I’d like to try it in an air fryer to cut down on the oiliness.
Hi Jenn,
Do you have any suggestions for what to substitute for the egg if we have an egg allergy in the family? Do you think it would work if I used a vegan mayonnaise to coat the chicken prior to breading? Thank you in advance!
Hi Alex, I think vegan mayonnaise would work nicely here. And for future reference, two of the best substitutes I’ve heard about (I haven’t personally tried either of them) are a combination of water, oil, and baking powder, and carbonated water. Scroll down to the bottom of this article for more information about both. I would assume many recipes would also work with some kind of store-bought egg substitute. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your reply and for the link! I did use Vegenaise after flouring and before breading the chicken and worked great! Delicious!
Will this work for eggplant?
Hi Arvind, I haven’t tried it, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
If you can get duck eggs, that might work. It does for my son. He can also eat quail eggs. Eggs from different animals have different proteins. My son’s problem is with the whites. Good luck!
Hi Jenn! This recipe sounds delicious! Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of tenderloins?
Hi Nicole, I think you could use thighs here but they’ll take a bit longer to cook. I’d brown them on the stove according to the recipe and before topping with sauce and cheese, finish cooking them in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes or so. Then top them with the sauce and cheese and broil to melt the cheese. (Please keep in mind I haven’t tried them this way.) I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Chicken tenders are hard to find where I am… Could I just halve a chicken breast instead?
Hi Donna, Yes that’s perfectly fine, but you’ll need to pound the breasts to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Hi Jenn
I’m in the process of making this chicken parm. I want to serve it in 2 days. Can I complete the dish today? After I bread and fry the coated chicken, can I bake the chicken with the fontina instead of putting under the broiler? If so, at what temperature and for how long? My oven is small and there is no way I could get the baking sheet under the broiler? Thanks….
Hi Ellen, while the chicken can be fried up to several hours ahead and refrigerated, I’m not sure how well it would do being fried two days ahead. And if you can’t fit the pan under your broiler, I think you could bake it. I’d recommend an oven temp of 400°F and I put them in for about five minutes or until the cheese is melted. Hope that helps!
Loved, Loved, Loved this recipe!!!! By far the best chicken parmigiana ever. Can’t wait to cook it at our family dinner! ❤️👏
Went to the 2 stores to find Fontina cheese….they did not have it. The internet said that Gouda
was the closest cheese to Fontina. Will Gouda work in this recipe?
Hi Beverly, I think your best bet would be whole milk mozzarella. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
I didn’t see your note until after I had made your dish. In the words of my son, “This is amazing.” So Good!! The chicken is so tender. I had to use the Gouda which did not melt with a softness. So next time with the Fontina….it is will be more amazing! Thank you!!!
This is just for future reference since your post was a while ago. I have had good luck with thin sliced provolone cheese in place of fontina. I would get it thinly sliced at the deli counter. Just ask the person at the deli which provolone is softer when they ask you which type you want. I often combine whole milk mozzarella and some provolone slices broken up, when fontina is hard to find that day.
My family loves this recipe. Jenn’s use of chicken tenderloins here is so smart, they are always tender and saves the step of cutting up chicken breasts like I used to do before. I love that a professional chef recommends a store-bought sauce…so easy to add a couple of ingredients for a more homemade flavor!
This is our go-to recipe for Chicken Parmesan! The use of tenderloins makes the frying quicker and the fontina cheese melts so much better than mozzarella.
Made this recipe for my family and it was a huge hit. My 5 yr. old grandson loved it and left his plate clean. We adults also loved the tender juicy chicken. This recipe is easy and tasty.
This will be my go to chicken parmesan recipe from now on!
Excellent!
I used 1/2 Panko and 1/2 bread crumbs. It was still crispy and the breading stuck.
I love this recipe for a rainy winter night! I sometimes substitute dried tarragon for the oregano, and I bake the chicken (instead of frying) at 375 for about 40 minutes after spraying the dish with olive oil then pouring melted butter over the chicken after sprinkling parmesan. Of course, the recipe is delicious just as it is, but I like to experiment!
I made this for 6 party birthday dinner. It was the guest of honors request. Everything went very smooth in the kitchen. The chicken breasts were of top quality from a local butcher shop
which turned out to be a key factor. We also did Caesar salad & a decadent Mac & cheese. Major thumbs up. Of course I dropped your name Jen. Thanks so much for your help!
David Hall – Lake Forest, CA.
My daughter is super picky about chicken and she LOVES Jen’s chicken parmesan. I’ve made it for extended family, too, with rave reviews. Definitely a keeper!
This recipe is so simple, yet absolutely delicious. It was my first introduction to fontina cheese, which I now use in other recipes! I don’t even bother to order chicken parm from a menu anymore, as I feel like I can make a better version myself. I have even forgotten to season the chicken with salt and pepper before dredging it in the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and it was still delicious. I might add a pinch of cayenne next time, just because we love spicy! I already used a spicy store-bought sauce (Classico Spicy Tomato and Basi), which was great. Definitely make this!
A family favourite. Great to add individual amounts of sauce.