This recipe has me pretty excited because I’ve found a way to make Chicken Parmesan easy! My family lOvEd this dish, and I know I will be adding it to our list of regulars because EASY + HEALTHY + FAST + YUMMY = WINNER.
Even though we’ve always loved the traditional Chicken Parmesan, I haven’t really made it very often because it can be a little involved. You’ve got all the various bowls for dipping and breading which not only adds to the dirty dish pile, but somehow I always end up with a handful of giant breaded fingertips (you know what I’m talking about?). And then of course the phone rings, and my nose itches…
So with this simplified method, you just sauté your chicken breasts in a big skillet, and toast your bread crumbs in a separate skillet. Panko is the way to go for this. They are a larger crumb and much coarser than traditional breadcrumbs, so you get maximum crunch for you buck. I found Italian seasoned Panko at my regular grocery store, which worked really well for this recipe.
When the chicken is pretty much cooked through, you just top it with your toasted Panko and your thick slices of mozzarella, and then put it under the broiler for a few minutes to get everything nice and toasty and melty.
To make sure you have nice toasty breadcrumbs on the bottom side of the chicken, just add a thin layer of the toasted Panko to the serving plate before placing the chicken on top. Finish it off with some red sauce (see my note in the recipe), grated Parmesan and some thinly sliced fresh basil. Is your mouth watering? Mine is! It looks fancy but couldn’t be easier!
So there you go – no extra dishes to wash, and no giant breaded fingertips. Hope you’ll give this one a try and love it as mush as we do!
Easy Chicken Parmesan With Toasted Panko
Classic Chicken Parmesan flavor made easier with a tasty shortcut!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2/3 cup Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces good quality pizza sauce or marinara*
- 4 thick slices of mozzarella cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large oven safe skillet (I use my big cast iron skillet) on medium high heat.
- In the meantime, pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thick between two pieces of wax paper, or inside a plastic bag. This will help the chicken cook more quickly and evenly. If you have thicker chicken breasts, you may want to consider slicing them in half horizontally so you have two thinner pieces.
- When the skillet is hot, place the chicken evenly around the pan. It will depend on the heat of your stove, but I cooked mine for about 8 minutes on each side, turning the heat down a bit once they were browned. Do not move the chicken around in the pan. This will help it brown, and seal in the juices.
- While the chicken is cooking, place a second skillet on the another burner with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon of butter on medium high heat. When the butter is melted, add your Panko and stir continuously. After about 3-5 minutes, you will notice that the breadcrumbs are just starting to brown and have a nice toasty aroma. Remove them from the heat, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, and set aside.
- When your chicken is cooked through and browned on both sides turn off the heat and use a small spoon to place a layer of the toasted Panko on each one, patting it down to help it stick. You should only use about half of your Panko, reserving the rest for the bottom layer. Then place a slice of cheese on top of the Panko.
- Place the skillet under the broiler in your oven, and watch carefully for the cheese to melt. Then remove it from the oven.
- Place your remaining toasted Panko onto your serving dish. Then place each chicken breast onto the Panko. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce or marinara onto each one, and sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
*I have been using Classico brand pizza sauce lately and am loving it for more than just pizza.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 511
- Sugar: 3.1g
- Sodium: 651mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 9.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 62g
- Cholesterol: 179mg
This is such a fun idea! I love what a pretty presentation it makes!
Thank you Annie!
That does sound easy! I really like how you don’t have to get everything contaminated and end up with panko/chicken juice coated fingers.
I have all the ingredients on hand and I’m craving one right now! I’m making this today 🙂
Love it when all the ingredients are there when you need them! Hope you enjoy!
I forgot to tell you that it was so simple and delicious!!
This chicken look delicious! Parmesan cheese and chicken go together perfectly. 🙂
oh la la … yum! Loving this recipe!
I feel like you were talking about me, when you said ” handful of giant breaded fingertips” hahaha – I certainly know what you mean!! This is such a great alternative to the classic recipe
Thanks so much Sharana! Glad I’m not the only one that it happens to!
How delicious does this chicken parmesan look! I am a massive fan of panko breadcrumbs and have a large jar sitting in my pantry, so I will be recreating this recipe. Thanks Julie!
You’re welcome Thalia! Hope you love it too!
I just checked my pantry and have all the ingredients needed,I will be making the chicken parmesan tonight! Thanks so much for posting.
Love it when that happens Barbara! Enjoy!