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Delicious homemade chicken parmesan with melted cheese and tomato sauce on a white plate.

Crispy Chicken Parmesan

This is a version I learned while working in restaurants in my teens and guarantees a crispy parm!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 6
Calories 739 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Sauce:

  • ½ chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup Pancetta I sauteed this just to flavor the oil and then removed but you can add it back to your sauce before emulsifying
  • 6 basil leaves more for garnish
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste was all out but def recommend. Add after garlic and sauté a few mins before adding in crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Chicken:

  • 4 large chicken breasts
  • Oil for frying cutlets
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion salt
  • 1 tsp oregano powder
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 32 oz sliced mozzarella

Instructions
 

  • Start by browning your pancetta in a tsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once browned, remove and set aside.
    Cooking bacon cubes in a white pan, using a wooden spatula on a wooden cutting board background.
  • Add in your onions and saute for 4 minutes or until translucent. Then add in your garlic and saute for 1 minute.
    Chopped onions sautéing in a white pot on a wooden board for a cooking recipe.
  • Add in your can of crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of water.
    Stirring tomato sauce with a wooden spoon in a white pot on a wooden board background.
  • Then add in your salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
    Pot of tomato sauce with herbs and salt being stirred with a wooden spoon on a wooden board.
  • Add in your basil and partially cover your pot and cook on low for 45 minutes.
    Hand lifting lid of white Dutch oven on wooden surface. Cooking preparation in progress.
  • Butterfly your chicken cutlet.
    Person holding butterflied chicken breast on cutting board, ready for cooking preparation.
  • Place saran wrap on top of your cutlets and use a mallet to thin them out.
    Pounding chicken breasts under plastic wrap with a kitchen mallet on a wooden surface.
  • Set up your breading station. I like to use a baking tray which I separate into different compartments with aluminum.
    Hands holding a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, ready for cooking.
  • Place flour in one and your panko breadcrumbs in another. Season your breadcrumbs with onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano.
    Woman seasoning flour and breadcrumbs for cooking on a foil-lined baking sheet in a kitchen.
  • In a separate bowl, beat your eggs and add a few pinches of your flour.
    Egg wash and breadcrumb station for breading. Prepare for cooking with these essential ingredients in aluminum trays.
  • Dip your cutlet in the flour, then egg and then your panko breadcrumbs. Make sure the cutlet is fully covered by the breadcrumbs.
    Person breading food with flour and breadcrumbs. Gloved hands coating in flour before dipping in egg wash on baking tray.
  • Heat your high smoke point oil to 340F.
    Pot of oil with a thermometer showing 324°F, ready for deep frying.
  • Carefully add in your cutlet and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden.
    Panko-coated chicken breast being lowered into hot oil in a pot for frying.
  • Place your finished cutlet on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the extra oil and then on a baking rack to cool. Repeat this process until all are done.
    Crispy breaded schnitzel frying in a hot oil pan, golden brown and delicious.
  • Once your marinara is done, use an immersion blender or regular blender to combine.
    Blending homemade tomato sauce in a white pot with an immersion blender on a wooden table.
  • I like my marinara a little chunky so I didn't combine it too much.
    Rich homemade tomato sauce in a white pot being stirred with a spatula on a wooden surface.
  • Now here comes the restaurant trick! Place about 1/2 cup of your marinara in sections on a baking sheet and top with 3 pieces of sliced mozzarella.
    Two pieces of bread topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Top with parmesan and bake in the broiler for 6-8 minutes or until golden.
    Hands preparing chicken parmesan with tomato sauce and cheese on foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Top your cutlet with your marinara and cheese bake.
    Heart-shaped chicken parmigiana on a white plate.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 739kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 69gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 216mgSodium: 2499mgPotassium: 820mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1238IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 822mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Chicken, Crispy
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