Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan coats thin chicken breasts in a light and crunchy parmesan and herb panko breading then baked until crispy.
My husband’s family is Italian, and I loved visiting with them, hearing stories, and learning their recipes while we were in college in Boston. In fact, you can see all of my favorite Italian family recipes in my eCookbook Series: Food From Our Ancestors. One of the recipes I adapted from these conversations is my Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan. Instead of deep-fried chicken, this version is healthier, lighter, and lower in calories. The parmesan cheese is actually a part of the breading, and helps lock in moisture and flavor!
Ingredients
- For the chicken parm: chicken breasts, eggs, flour, salt and pepper.
- For the panko topping: panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, minced fresh herbs (parsley or basil), lemon zest, garlic, salt, and chili flakes.
How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
Start your Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan by creating your panko topping. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix the panko breadcrumbs with the grated parmesan cheese.
Then using a microplane or grater, freshly grate in your garlic.
Then using the same microplane, zest a lemon into the panko.
Then add your freshly minced herbs, I used parsley.
Finish with your salt and chili flakes, before stirring until ingredients are evenly mixed.
Then take your chicken breasts and pound them with a meat mallet until nice and thin, and use a paper towel to make sure they’re completely dry. Sprinkle each with some salt and pepper on both sides.
Then take each chicken breast and coat in some flour.
Once coated in flour, dip in your scrambled eggs.
Finish by pressing into the breadcrumb mixture until evenly coated. Place on a prepared baking sheet, and continue until all breasts are coated. Then toss in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until crispy.
To keep things classic, serve your Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan over a bed of pasta and marinara sauce, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What do you serve with Chicken Parmesan besides pasta?
If you’re looking to reduce carbs or simply mix it up, I recommend serving with Roasted Broccoli, a nice Wedge Salad, zoodles, or Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Is it better to bake chicken covered or uncovered?
Some recipes might call for you to cover chicken with aluminum foil or something, but in most instances, you don’t need to cover chicken to bake.
Is parmigiana and parmesan the same?
Yes, in most instances, they both refer to the same cheese: parmigiano-reggiano.
More Oven Baked Dinners
- Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Wings
- Easy Roasted Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
- Healthy Baked Mac and Cheese with Pumpkin
- Baked Dijon Salmon
- New England Baked Scallops with Panko
Eat It, Like It, Share It!
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With my Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan, there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy comfort food favorites and still stick to our healthy eating plan.
Your fork is waiting.
Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin or cut in half horizontally)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 large eggs
- pasta and marinara sauce (optional, to serve)
Panko Topping
- 1 ½ cups whole-grain panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- ½ cup minced fresh herbs (such as parsley or basil)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch chili flakes
Instructions
- If the chicken breasts are thick, place them on top of a cutting board and cover them with plastic wrap before carefully pounding them with a meat tenderizer to thin them. The goal is to have chicken breasts about 1/4 inch thick that is an even thickness throughout. Alternatively, you can carefully butterfly a chicken breast in half horizontally.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. You will also need two shallow dishes (such as a pie plates).
- Whisk eggs in one of the shallow dishes; set aside.
- In the second shallow dish, mix together all of the panko topping ingredients with a fork.
- Begin assembling chicken parm by sprinkling chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Working one at a time, carefully coat the chicken in the eggs then dip in the panko topping. Be sure to evenly coat chicken breast with panko topping evenly on both sides before placing on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake chicken until tender and crispy, about 20 minutes. Serve over pasta with your favorite red sauce if you wish.