Made on one sheet pan in just 30 minutes, this baked chicken Parmesan is a weeknight dinner winner that kids and adults alike adore.
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“Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Great recipe.” -Vanessa, FoodieCrush reader
Baking Your Chicken Parmesan Makes It a Mostly Hands-Off Recipe
I think crispy cutlets of Parmesan-coated chicken are one of the tastiest types of chicken you can eat, and as luck would have it they’re also the perfect base for making crispy chicken Parmesan in the oven.
Topped with a simple marinara sauce (store-bought works too!) and gooey, melty cheese, this easy dinner is complete when served alongside your favorite pasta.
And because this dish can be made in 30 minutes, it tastes even better. Let the dinner bells ring!
Enjoy!
PS. I also have a great recipe for classic chicken Parmesan, which calls for pan-frying in a skillet and then baking. But this oven baked version is easier to prep on busy weeknights!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Skip the typical flour/egg/breadcrumb dredge and use a slather of mayonnaise for ease. Mayo is the shortcut that replaces the typical flour and egg dredge before dipping the chicken into breadcrumbs. It also adds fat to the lean chicken breasts, creating a more juicy, tender bite. If mayo isn’t your thing, brush with melted butter before flouring.
Use seasoned Italian breadcrumbs instead of panko. You can certainly use panko breadcrumbs, but I prefer good old Italian seasoned breadcrumbs for this recipe. Regular breadcrumbs mix better with the grated cheese, and because the crumbs are smaller than panko, they cover the chicken uniformly for an extra crisp crunch.
Skip the green can and use freshly grated Parmesan. Freshly grated Parm is the only way to go. Use finely grated Parmesan from the deli department, instead of shredded. If grating your own, be sure it’s extra fine so it melds in with the breadcrumbs, making the exterior crisp and not soggy.
The Main Ingredients (+ Notes)
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts — Cut them in half lengthwise and pound them all the same thickness so they cook evenly. I prefer chicken cutlets somewhere between ¼″ and ½″ but the thinner the better IMO.
- Mayonnaise — This gives the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese mixture something to stick to.
- Seasoned Italian breadcrumbs — For a crisp, golden brown breading.
- Grated Parmesan cheese — Lends excellent flavor to our chicken breading.
- Garlic powder — Gets mixed with the breadcrumbs, paprika, salt, and pepper to season our chicken breasts (you could also use 1 clove of fresh garlic that’s been pressed or very finely minced instead).
- Paprika — Lends a subtle smoky flavor, but it’s mainly used to add a warm sheen to the crust as it bakes.
- Marinara sauce — Try my easy homemade marinara sauce recipe, roasted tomato sauce, pomodoro sauce, or a good store-bought variety.
Heidi’s Tip: I make my red sauce ahead of time and keep it frozen in gallon freezer bags so I can pull them out and use them at any time. What makes this meal so meal-prep friendly is having a batch of homemade tomato sauce on hand or using a high-quality brand from the grocery store.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan in the Oven
- Slice and pound the chicken. Chicken breasts cook quicker and more evenly when sliced in half lengthwise and then pounded with a meat tenderizer to the same thickness. Aim for ¼-inch to ½-inch thickness.
- Season the breadcrumbs. Use Italian flavored breadcrumbs that are already seasoned, with extra garlic powder and kosher salt, plus paprika for an extra sheen of color as the chicken bakes.
- Bake chicken Parmesan at 400°F. Cooking chicken at a higher temperature locks in the juices and won’t dry out the meat. Bake the chicken breasts directly on a rimmed sheet pan (not lined with foil) for extra crispness on both sides.
- In the final minutes of cooking, top with marinara and grated white cheese. To keep the chicken breasts crisp and prevent them from getting soggy, wait until the last few minutes of baking to spoon warmed marinara on the chicken and top with cheese. Bake just until the cheese melts.
FYI: Chicken Is Done When It Reaches 165ºF
I suggest using a meat thermometer for checking the doneness of the chicken. The exact amount of time you’ll need to bake the chicken depends on how thick it is. It should take roughly 10-12 minutes, but use a meat thermometer to be safe and when it hits an internal temp of 165°F, it’s done!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
- fresh basil or parsley , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make the breading. In a large shallow bowl or on a large plate, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
- Slice and pound the chicken. Use a thin, sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create two thin fillets. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap on a cutting board, and gently pound to about ⅜-inch with a meat tenderizer.
- Bread the chicken. Brush both sides of the chicken fillets with mayonnaise to evenly coat. Dredge each of the chicken cutlets in the breadcrumb mixture and place on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until cooked through and the outsides are golden and crispy.
- Top with marinara and cheese. Top each cutlet with a dollop of marinara and shredded cheese and return to the oven. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Serve with spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccine noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Sides to Serve With Chicken Parmesan
Cooked pasta such as spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccine is a must in our house. The crispy chicken Parm is delicious on its own, but I love serving mine over noodles.
Additional side dishes include:
More Kid-Friendly Chicken Dinner Ideas
- Potato Chip Crusted Chicken Breasts
- Crispy Chicken Milanese (essentially shallow-fried chicken cutlets)
- Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Chicken and Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
- Crispy Parmesan Chicken Tenders
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Patti
Will be making this tomorrow Monday 9/23can i prepare with the butter & breadcrumbs refrigerate & bake later thank you Patri
Hi Patti, yes you can! In fact, refrigerating the chicken with the breadcrumbs will make them even more crispy when cooked.
John Ferreira
Yours sounds very good, never thought of Mayo as a coating for more moist chicken! A short cut pasta would recommend Pasta Roni Olive Oil and Italian Herb with Linguine and can Microwave pasta for two 5 minute cycles and let stand for 5 minutes! Just enough for two people! This is one of my favorite pasta sides for any meal!
Hayley
Thanks John, we hope you can give this a try and that pasta sounds yummy!
Vanessa
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Great recipe
Hayley
We’re so happy you enjoyed it Vanessa!
Toni Stevenson
Disapointed, although my company said it tasted really good. Something I may have done wrong, but the chicken didn’t get brown and crispy like it does when I fry it in oil and butter, the breadcrumbs were soft and mushy. I baked it 30 min at 400 degrees, then covered it with dolope of sauce and cheese. maybe I put too much bread crumbs on it? will try agan but will fry the chicken in a pan, I also didn’t make enough sauce for 1 pound of spaghetti , it was too dry to me. It had a good taste, I made fettuccine, I think angel hair would have worked better. I do get nervous when I cook for company, they want to talk and i want to read the recipe and focus.
El
Heidi – Why is the chicken crispier if baked directly on the pan, rather than on foil? If it’s a steel or aluminum pan, I wouldn’t think that it would make a difference. Please enlighten me!
Hey El! In my opinion, cooking directly on the sheet pan conducts the heat just a little bit more.