Crispy Chicken Parmesan

Tender, crispy chicken breasts, marinara sauce, lots of parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasonings. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 804kcal

Author Anne Clark

Equipment

9" x 13" casserole dish
2 shallow rimmed plates
1 medium bowl
whisk
large skillet
large pot for cooking spaghetti
colander to drain spaghetti

Ingredients

32 ounces marinara sauce, divided (I like Rao's Marinara for this recipe)
4 boneless, skinless "thin-cut" chicken breasts each breast about 5 ounces (150 grams) and about ½-inch thick
dash sea salt and black pepper
½ cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
¼ cup water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1-¼ cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated, divided buy the block of parmesan cheese, not pre-shredded and not the canned stuff. See recipe note about the cheeses.
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounce block of mozzarella, sliced into 4 slices not the pre-shredded cheese
1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F. Evenly spread one cup of the marinara sauce into a 9”x13” baking dish. Set aside.
Season chicken on both sides with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Set aside.
(a) Place the flour onto a shallow, rimmed plate. (b) Place the eggs and water in a wide bowl and whisk together. (c) In another shallow, rimmed plate, add the panko bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, and one-quarter cup Parmesan cheese then mix well.
Lightly dredge a chicken breast in the flour, then dip into the egg wash. Let any excess egg mixture drip off a little before moving to the next step.
Press the breast into the panko bread crumb mixture until thoroughly coated on both sides. Place onto a large plate and set aside. Repeat until all breasts are coated.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and crispy on each side, approximately 2 minutes per side. Add more olive oil if needed. No need to completely cook the chicken as it will finish cooking in the oven.
Transfer the browned breasts to the baking dish. Arrange in a single layer.
Top each chicken breast with a mozzarella slice. Spread the remaining marinara sauce down the center of each breast. Try to leave the crispy ends exposed so they'll stay crunchy.
Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top and place dish into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from oven.
Plate the spaghetti and top with a serving of chicken parmesan and marinara sauce. Top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

You can use larger chicken breasts, but you will need to pound them to make them thinner (they should be no more than ½" thick).

This recipe calls for shredding your own cheese and it's totally worth it!! Pre-shredded cheese is very convenient, but it's coated with a powdery substance that may interfere with the flavor and texture of this recipe.

Go light on the salt with this recipe since these cheeses contain plenty of salt.

Nutrition