This oven-baked Chicken Parmesan is crispy, flavorful, and easy to prep in advance. Made with a crispy panko crust, homemade creamy tomato sauce, cheesy mozzarella, and fresh basil, this chicken parm is a delicious dinner!
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The chicken portion of this recipe is adapted from Skinny Taste's Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: pound the chicken until ½ inch thick for even cooking
- Parmesan cheese: I use freshly and finely grated (as opposed to shredded) parmesan.
- Panko breadcrumbs: you can use gluten-free to make this recipe gluten-free. You can also substitute for regular bread crumbs, but I find that the panko bread crumbs result in the crispiest chicken.
- Butter: a bit of a lighter coating than typical flour and egg mixtures.
- Diced tomatoes: I love the texture of diced tomatoes but you can also use crushed tomatoes
- Mozzarella: I use pre-shredded mozzarella cheese. You can slice a mozzarella ball but it will throw more liquid and can result in your chicken being less crispy.
How do I make chicken parmesan in the oven?
1. Make the homemade tomato sauce by cooking the diced onions and then the garlic. Add in the canned diced tomatoes, heavy cream, basil, salt, and pepper and simmer until thickened.
2. Meanwhile, pound the chicken into ½ inch thick. Dip the pounded chicken into melted butter then into panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, and salt.
3. Spray the chicken with cooking spray (this will help make it crispy!) and bake for 20-25 minutes, fliping halfway.
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4. When the chicken is just cooked through, top each piece of chicken with a generous scoop of the tomato sauce and mozzarella.
5. Bake the chicken for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melty. Serve with fresh basil on top and a side of pasta, if desired.
Prep ahead tips
The tomato sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop before using again.
The chicken can be breaded up to 4 hours in advance. Cover the chicken with foil and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Serving suggestions
Chicken parmesan is delicious served with a side of spaghetti! I recommend doubling the sauce and tossing the extra sauce with pasta (or if you're just a big fan of sauce!). It would also be delicious served with:
More chicken breast recipes you'll love
I hope you love this chicken parmesan recipe and that it becomes a staple in your household as it is in ours. If you try it out, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.
📖 Recipe
Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon sliced fresh basil
- Kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
- cooking spray
- 6 oz grated mozzarella cheese
- Kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450.
- To make the sauce, heat a large saucepan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, sauteing occasionally, until onions are translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, heavy cream, basil, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- To make the chicken, place each chicken breast between two pieces of parchment or wax paper. Using a meat pounder or heavy pan, pound each chicken breast to ½ inch thickness.
- Place melted butter in a shallow bowl. In a seperate bowl, mix together Panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, a pinch of salt, and few cracks of pepper. Drench each chicken breast in butter then in the Panko-parmesan mixture, coating fully.
- Place breaded chicken on a large non-stick baking sheet. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping and spraying the other side halfway.
- After 25 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through, place a spoonful of the simmered sauce on top of each chicken breast. Divide the shredded mozzarella and top amongst each chicken breast. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- I recommend doubling the sauce if you'd like to toss it with pasta on the side.
- The tomato sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop before using again.
- The chicken can be breaded up to 4 hours in advance. Cover the chicken with foil and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Video
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Kelly Burns says
This is just perfection!💕
Caitlin from CC's Table says
Aw thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear!