Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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Parmesan crusted chicken is easy enough to make for a busy weeknight but also special enough for company.
Parmesan crusted chicken is a great chicken dish to add to your repertoire. It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner but also special enough for company, and it appeals to the whole family. Kids especially love it because it bears some resemblance to chicken fingers. For adults, try topping it with a heaping pile of lemony arugula salad. There are two secrets to success: first, pounding the chicken breasts to an even 1/4-inch thickness tenderizes the meat and ensures even cooking; second, a three-step breading method ensures that the coating adheres to the meat while it cooks, resulting in a crispy crust and juicy interior every time.
For a variation on this recipe, try my easy parmesan chicken, which uses a similar breading and pan-frying technique but is then baked topped with marinara sauce and cheese, or chicken piccata, which is served with a lemon and caper sauce. For a vegetarian option, you can follow the directions for breading and frying eggplant in my eggplant parmesan recipe.
Table of Contents
“This chicken was excellent. Crispy on the outside and super tender and juicy inside. My husband loved it.”
What You’ll Need To Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set up three large shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put the flour in the first bowl.
Beat the eggs in the second bowl.
Finally, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs in the third bowl.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Dredge the first chicken breast in the flour and shake off the excess until just a light coating remains.
Next, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and turn to coat evenly, letting any excess egg drip off.
Finally, dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, turning a few times to coat well. Set breaded chicken on a plate and repeat until all of the chicken breasts are breaded.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the first side is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking until done, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Video Tutorial
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Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Parmesan crusted chicken is easy enough to make for a busy weeknight but also special enough for company.
Ingredients
For Breading
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs (I use Progresso)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, chives or rosemary
For Chicken
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), pounded ¼"-thick (see note)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Set up three large shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put the flour in the first bowl; beat the eggs in the second bowl; and mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs in the third bowl.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge the first chicken breast in the flour and shake off the excess until just a light coating remains. Next, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and turn to coat evenly, letting any excess egg drip off. Finally, dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, turning a few times to coat well. Set breaded chicken on a plate and repeat until all of the chicken breasts are breaded.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the first side is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking until done, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
- Note: If chicken breasts are large (8 or more ounces), it's best to cut them in half once they are pounded out. Alternatively, you can cut them in half horizontally before pounding.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 562
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 48g
- Sodium: 1218mg
- Cholesterol: 223mg
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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My family loved this recipe! I used 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs instead of Italian. After I browned the chicken I put it on a baking sheet and topped it with mozzarella cheese and baked it in the oven until it was cooked through.
This recipe is the bees knees! It was easy to prepare and was a smashing success! Another home run as always Jenn, thank you!
Love, love, love this recipe! I finally was able to get my super picky, chicken nugget loving son to eat chicken that I made! Thank you. This recipe is a staple in our house.
I’ve been trying so many of Jennifer’s recipe and so far I’ve not been disappointed with any of them….Last week her Mac N Cheese – word uttered was AWESOME! However at this point, this one is my favorite. I followed the recipe and the chicken comes out so moist and the herbs take it over the top. I’ve made it several times and have not been disappointed. This weekend I’m going to try her Chicken Picatta – can’t wait as I’m sure, this too, will be a winner. Thank you Jennifer for all your wonderful recipes! I’m a huge fan.
Do you have a simple/easy recipe for Chow Mein?
I’m sorry, Sally, I don’t. I’ll have to add it to my list of recipes to potentially develop!
Wonderful flavor. Easy recipe. Our new favorite chicken recipe. Can’t wait to get my copy of your cookbook!
So good!,! I just finished dinner with my family, testing the gluten free version for the first, perfect time. This one goes in the rotation! Easy, fast, and minimal clean-up. I served the chicken with broccoli that I steamed and quickly finished in the frypan/chicken juices, plus a small garnet yam per person.
Gluten free was an easy adaptation: I simply used GF plain bread crumbs and GF Ancient Grains flour blend.
With only pre-shredded fresh parmesan on hand, I topped my chicken with it two minutes prior to finish to avoid burning. Too lazy to finely chop fresh rosemary, I threw big sprigs in the frypan about five minutes into cooking, saving time.
Agree: pounding to even thickness is critical.
Thanks, Jen! Another great recipe!
Yet another winner! Delicious and easily cooked. We used large boneless and skinned chicken breasts and cut them through the middle before pounding. Great tasting and we have plenty for reheating. Thanks!
I made this tonight for my husband and toddler – a big hit and it came together really fast! I had fresh thyme on hand so I used that which worked perfectly. The chicken was nice and juicy and the crust was perfect. I served it with roasted broccoli. The left overs will be perfect over a salad for me or for my son to take to preschool.
Quite possibly the best chicken I’ve ever cooked. My family and I really like this recipe. I did change one thing. Instead of splitting between vegetable oil and olive oil, I used only olive oil. This recipe also works well with chicken tenders.
Can you bake this recipe as well? It was delcious when I pan fried it!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Kelli. You could bake it, but I’d spray with olive oil first to make sure it crisps up.
Can you use this recipe on fish I.e. tilapia or cod and bake in the oven? I’m a novice cook, however I’ve used your recipes before with much success. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Hi Randy, I think this would work nicely on fish and if you’re going to bake it, I’d suggest an oven temp of 375 degrees and to bake the fish for about 20 minutes or until it’s opaque and flakes easily. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
This chicken dish was really easy and delicious. Great dish to make for company and we all loved it! Will make this again and again.
This was fabulous and so easy to make!! I used chives in mine…I think the lemon wedges are essential…really boosts the flavor up a notch..I only had olive oil, no vegetable oil..Just curious, what does vegetable oil add to the recipe??
Hi Wendy, Either will work but olive oil is expensive so I typically will use vegetable oil if I don’t feel the flavor of olive oil is essential.
Just tried this with chicken tenderloins & everyone loved it dipped it horseradish mustard except for my picky husband. Any ideas for a sauce that good for non-spicy food lovers?
Glad it was a hit, Elizabeth! I think it’d be good with marinara sauce or even just a squeeze of lemon.
Lemon caper sauce is delicious with it
Fantastic, quick dinner. Definitely another winner!
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, Jenn! One more question. The “pile” of remaining dredged/breaded chicken is substantial. Will the finished/cooked breasts freeze well in separate small airtight containers, perhaps for use sliced over salads? If not, any other ideas?
Yes, Laura, I think these would freeze nicely!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was tender and delicious, but I had a few setbacks. My package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts weighed 3.6 pounds and had only 3 breasts, each weighing more than 1 lb. I spent an hour trimming, cutting, flattening and dredging the breasts, and after doubling all dredging ingredients for this much chicken, I ended up with too much flour, too little egg mixture and just enough bread crumb/cheese/herb mixture. Doubling the oils also was not enough. I will make this on a regular basis (it is so good), including for dinner guests, but next time, I will be better prepared.
Jenn: Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Is it okay that I refrigerated and tightly covered the remaining chicken to make it tomorrow? I had so many chicken pieces that I ran out of energy to cook it all tonight.
Glad you enjoyed it Laura despite the time involved! Yes, I think it’s perfectly fine for you to cook the remaining chicken today.
Can you use chicken thighs
Sure, Deb. 🙂
YUM! This is a simple, delicious recipe. Tonight I made it with Italian parsley this time but will be using rosemary next time, because I think that would be my favorite flavor. One of my sons thanked me for dinner and said it was especially good tonight. (That’ll always put a smile on my face.) I made the chicken with Jenn’s suggested pairing, which was also easy and tasty.
My husband will be reheating this dish when he gets home from work @ 3am. He’ll be using the microwave to reheat. I know it won’t be as crispy as mine, but I’m hoping the flavors will still be there for him.
I made the chicken with panko and added Italian seasoning. It turned out great!
Hi Jenn. Absolutely love your recipes. I am having a group for dinner & don’t want to be frying while they are here. Could I fry this an hour before they arrive & then reheat in the oven. If so, at what temp? Also when using fresh rosemary do you chop it up fine or leave as is? Appreciate your advice.
Dana
Hi Dana, It won’t be quite as crispy as it would be if you made it right before serving, but that’s perfectly ok. I once made it ahead for a bridal shower and it was still a big hit :). I would reheat at 325°F. As for the rosemary, it’s best to chop it pretty finely as it can be strong.
Could you use seasoned panko for this
Jen
Thank you
Sure, Nanci – that’s fine.
Thank You WE Love all your recipes!!!!
We loved this recipe and our picky granddaughter gave it a 2 thumbs up.
Made exactly according to recipe except used pork tenderloin cut into 2″ medallions and pounded to appropriate thickness. Delicious….
Made this recipe for guests and was so happy with the results. Very easy to make and quick too. Was a last minute dinner arrangement and I was so happy they left singing their praises of this dish. The crust on the chicken was flavourful I used a bit less oil as I did multi batches. Only had fresh rosemary on hand and loved it. Will be serving it again soon!
I love this recipe, I changed one thing and used grape seed oil and it was terrific. My husband even cleaned up dinner, WINNER !! Thank you
Amazing!!! So tender and juicy! I made parmesan crusted chicken in the past but it didn’t even compare to your recipe. I used rosemary as my herb and wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks, Jenn 🙂
Is it okay to bake these in the oven instead of frying? What would be your recommendations for baking time and temp?
Hi Nicole, I don’t recommend it — the crust won’t crisp up nearly as well. Sorry!
Just like everything else I’ve tried on the site, this recipe was great! The only fresh herb I had was parsley so I added a couple tablespoons of that and it was good. I did also sprinkle seasoning mix on the raw chicken before dipping… That might’ve helped with flavoring. I could see this being used on pork chops as well. Going to try that next! Thank you so much for sharing all of these awesome recipes! Can’t tell you how happy I am to make one dinner that both adults and kids love ;D
Loved it
I have been making chicken this way for years but was never able to find your website again. After finally stumbling across this again last night, dinner was determined. It always turns out excellent. I can never get the breading/ browning quite right with any other method and it is DE-LISH.
This is perfect! Absolutely the best way to make Parmesan Chicken. Thank you
Phenomenal. One of the best chicken recipes I’ve ever made and SO easy! I made it for my husband last week and we loved it so much that it will be featured at my mother’s birthday dinner this weekend. I grabbed whatever fresh herbs I had on hand – last week was sage, marjoram and parsley. Instead of thinning out the chicken, I cut it width wise to make 2 thinner pieces out of one breast. Worked totally fine, though the thicker pieces took a bit longer to cook. This will be a go to recipe for me.
Oh and one more thing…. What would be ur suggest for marina sauce for those chicken? I’d like to make those chicken with marina sauce for chicken sandwhich… Almost like a meatballs sandwich… Thank u for ur time.
My favorite marinara is Rao’s, but any variety would work well here.
Hello. I’m going to try ur chicken Parmesan soon but I was wondering how much cooking oil do I put in the pan to cook those? And what would be best kind of oil to use?
Hi Steven, the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons olive oil combined in the pan for frying. Hope you enjoy them!
I am having a large group of people for dinner, can I prepare the chicken the day before and keep refrigerated until I fry them?
Hi Maureen, While I think this is best prepared the day of, I think you could get away with it. Let me know how they turn out!
This was delicious! We had no breadcrumbs so used oats instead, which worked really well.
What herb would you recommend?
Audti, you can get away with any fresh herbs but the ones I like best for this recipe are hyme, parsley, chives or rosemary. Enjoy!
Can you use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts?
You can, but they will take longer to cook. I would cook the chicken in a saute pan as directed and then finish them off on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven. Start checking them for doneness after about 15 – 20 minutes.
I want to make this for dinner tonight, but my husband isn’t a big fan of herbs. Can I leave those out?
Hi Jen, Yes that’s no problem at all 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight & it is definitely a keeper! I left the herbs out(because my husband isn’t fond of them). This was very flavorful & moist. My husband & I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!! Dinner was successful!
P.s my house smelled like brownies & cake once I finished cooking. And I didn’t bake anything. Kudos to this dish for such a delightful aroma 🙂 I LOVE IT!
Just made tonight. It was easy AND good, 2 of my favorite things! I used rosemary as my herb. I successfully , for the first time , pounded out chicken. It was so tender! Thanks for recipe, this is definitely in the rotation.
This was absolutely delicious and a MUST try!! I was afraid that the chicken wasn’t cooked all the way so I just put it in the oven for a few minutes to get it to the right temperature. The breading stayed on the chicken and it had a nice crust with moist and juicy inside!! Thank you thank you!!
I have some thin cut boneless pork chops. Do you think I could substitute the chicken with it?
Yep, absolutely 🙂
Used boneless thin cut pork chops….DELICIOUS!!!
Will be making again!
Our son , his wife and two children moved in with us about a month ago. The adults all take turns cooking. This is the 2nd dish I cooked, which was a big hit with all!
This is a good recipe, and I will make it again. I goofed by not pounding the chicken breasts before I cooked them, so they were (predictably) uneven in their cooking times. Totally my fault. Loved it otherwise.
can this be cooked in the oven instead of a skillet
Hi Kris, I don’t recommend it — the crust won’t crisp up nearly as well. Sorry!
I usually make an oven-baked version of this…but in reality, it was pretty disappointing. When my daughter requested that recipe for dinner, I went straight here to find a better version, and I did!! The crust is absolutely amazing: crispy, flavorful, AND it stayed on the chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly. I used tenders but did pound them a bit to make them more even for cooking. There was little to no mess from the frying…a definite advantage! My only issue (and it’s a perennial problem with me) is that despite seasoning beforehand, the chicken itself tastes bland. I may try brining the chicken the next time to see if I can up it’s flavor. Any other suggestions or helpful tips are appreciated. My husband must have told me, between ever 3rd or 4th bite, how delicious it was!
Hi Shelly, Glad you enjoyed. I would just be a little more generous in seasoning the chicken before you bread it. You could also marinate it in a little olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper.
As usual, another winner recipe! EVERYTHING from your web site turns out beautifully! So happy to have discovered you!!
A perfect weeknight meal. Made a salad to go with them. Wonderful.
I should have doubled the recipe…
I am a novice at cooking, and this is by far one of the easiest recipes I have encountered and it is one of the best-tasting things I have made! It’s super fast to prepare too! I didn’t have seasoned breadcrumbs and made my own with plain breadcrumbs and store-bought Italian seasoning. This recipe is a keeper and I will be adding this to my collection! Thanks!
I served my chicken with sautéed mushrooms and zucchini. Amazing!
Hi, could you please share instructions for making mushrooms and zucchini?
Very simple – cut zucchini and mushrooms in half inch slices. Heat olive oil in a pan and toss in the ingredients. Cook on medium heat until desired softness (I like my zucchini a little on the softer side). Salt and pepper to taste and you’re done!
What sides would you serve with this.
Hi Duane, You could serve it with my Cauliflower Puree with Thyme or Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and a green vegetable.