Chicken Parmesan Recipe
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Chicken Parmesan is mistakenly considered an authentic Italian dish, but it’s (almost) as American as apple pie. In this version, panko breadcrumbs give it extra crunch and the chicken sits atop our Basic Tomato Sauce loaded with basil.
What to buy: We started with 12-ounce chicken breasts and cut them in half to make 6 portions. Go ahead and use 6-ounce chicken breasts if you find them at your local market, though they are harder to come by these days.
Panko is coarse Japanese-style breadcrumbs. It’s available in the international section of most supermarkets.
Game plan: For a slacker solution, you could use good-quality store-bought tomato sauce.
This recipe was featured as part of our Italian-American Favorites recipe gallery.
- 3 (11- to 12-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups panko
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 ounce)
- 1 cup olive oil
- 3 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (about 20 medium leaves)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 12 thin slices
- Heat the broiler to high and arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap, parchment paper, or waxed paper, or in a resealable plastic bag, and pound to an even thickness (about 1/4 inch thick) with a meat pounder, a rolling pin, or the bottom of a pan. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Place the flour in a wide, shallow dish, season well with salt and pepper, and mix; set aside. Combine the milk and eggs in another shallow dish and mix until the eggs are broken up; set aside. Mix the panko and Parmesan together in a third shallow dish.
- To bread the chicken, dredge a breast in the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Next, coat it in the egg mixture and let the excess drip off. Finally, press it into the panko mixture until it’s well coated. Set the breaded chicken on a large plate or baking sheet and repeat with the remaining breasts.
- Line a clean baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, or 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Add the chicken in batches (don’t overcrowd the pan) and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- While frying the last batch of chicken, bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once warmed through, stir in 1/4 cup of the basil and reserve the rest for garnish. Remove the paper towels and place the chicken directly on the baking sheet. Divide the mozzarella slices evenly among the breasts and place under the broiler until the cheese is golden and bubbly. (Rotate the baking sheet as needed for even browning.)
- To serve, ladle 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce onto each plate, top with chicken, and sprinkle with the remaining basil.
Beverage pairing: Kali Hart Monterey County Chardonnay, California. A good American Chardonnay for an Italian American dish. This white wine has a nice implicit fruity sweetness and a juicy acidity to make it a refreshing match for the chicken, tomatoes, and cheese.
can anybody comment on why we add milk to the eggwash? What are the differences between that and just beaten eggs? Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for explaining the difference between american italian and italian,(I also read connected post and shared it) in Italy Chicken Parmesan, doesn't exist!
i always get either sargento sliced or get some from the deli in the grocery store (ours carries board head brand which happens to be my favorite so its perfect)
can anybody recommend a brand of shredded mozzarella they like? i can't always afford the higher-end premium cheeses, just looking for a high quality pre-packaged option. thanks.
tried this tonight and it was awesome! adjusted the recipe to coat the cutlets with egg white and fat free milk, though..and used non-stick cooking spray on a cookie sheet to broil and melt cheese after quick pan fry...served with wheat angel hair pasta and light marinara sauce, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and fresh basil from my garden..chicken was crunchy and juicy. thanks!
This was delicious! My 10-year old son wants me to make it again and again! Next time, I'll probably take the above tip, to "oven fry" instead of pan fry.
I always bread as above, then just arrange on a heavily oiled baking sheet and do it all in the oven. same with eggplant parmesan/giana. in regards to slackergate, is "slacker" so derogatory now? it's not as if jarred sauce was referred to as a "retard solution" or "solution for awful cooks and lazyasses." those might offend me. slacker? hm. not so much.
First of all, Lol@ at the banter between Michele & Rachel,funny Stuff. Now a basic tomato sauce is very easy to make and throwing some basil Stems(leaves @ the end) will give you a very robust sauce that wont be as cheap or easier to find bottled. Heres another tip: Bucatini(that hollow spahgetti) will stand up to a dish like this. Boun appetito!
jkeen -- thanks for the tip on pounding the cutlets. Agree with the comment about the lame use of "slacker" here. It's not clever, and it sounds unprofessional. How about just saying, "for a quicker version" or "to save time"?
Hey Rachel - How do you know I don't work for for Ringling Bros? :)
michele cindy, maybe you should leave off the juggling.
I like the way the sauce is not placed over the chicken. I have to comment on the use of "Slacker" solution"? Maybe you could come up with a less demeaning word. There's plenty of us resort to bottled sauce because we are juggling, work, family, commuting etc.
I highly recommend that you sprinkle a little bit of water in your plastic bag or between the chicken and the plastic wrap in step one. This allows the chicken to slip around while being flattened, instead of adhering to the plastic and creating a weird pounded or bruised surface.
I make something very similar to this at home. First, I omit the milk and flour and use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. I'll dip the chicken in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Then, I'll sprinkle a little garlic powder and italian seasoning on the chicken, and then saute in a little bit of oil. After the chicken has cooked on both sides, I'll spoon a little sauce on top of the chicken, and then cover in shredded mozzarella. Put a lid on the saute pan and let the cheese melt (no more than about 5 minutes). These adjustments not only save a few calories, but it also saves having to clean a broiler pan and the outcome is just as good.
This one is awesome!! Turned out perfect. oh so yummy
As the intro says. this is an Italian-American dish, not an Italian one.
Shouldn't that be chicken parmigiana?