This parmesan crusted chicken recipe features tender, butterflied chicken breaded in nutty parmesan and breadcrumbs. Crispy without the need to deep fry!
Obsessed with crispy fried chicken but don’t want to deal with splattering oil or extra calories? This oven-baked parmesan crusted chicken will satiate even the strongest craving for the fried stuff, but with a fraction of the fat and cholesterol and no compromise on the crunch. You’ll love the nutty, herby crust! If you prefer seafood, try our parmesan crusted tilapia.
Making Oven-Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Preparing this oven-baked chicken only requires a few simple ingredients and a meat tenderizer.
- Butterfly the Chicken: First, butterfly the boneless skinless chicken breasts. Using a meat tenderizer, pound it out super flat.
- Prepare the Flour Breading: In a shallow dish, whisk the flour, garlic parsley salt, and black pepper together.
- Prepare the Egg Wash: Next, whisk the eggs together in another shallow bowl.
- Make the Parmesan Breadcrumbs: In a third bowl, stir the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese together.
- Bread the Chicken: Next, dredge the chicken by dipping it into the flour mixture, followed by the egg mixture and the breadcrumb mixture.
- Broil the Chicken: Assemble the chicken on a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the tops with cooking spray. Broil it in the oven at low or 450°F for 15 minutes, turning it halfway over through. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Hot Tip: Unsure if your chicken is finished cooking? Use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature of cooked chicken should be at 165°F.
3 Tips for the Best Parmesan Crusted Chicken
A handful of helpful tips will help you get the juiciest, crispiest parmesan chicken possible.
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavor. Instead of using pre-shredded parmesan, opt for shredding it yourself straight off the block. The pre-shredded stuff tends to be drier and less flavorful.
- Cut chicken into similar-sized pieces. To ensure even-cooking, butterfly the chicken into similar-sized pieces.
- Pound chicken to one even thickness all across. Another way to ensure even-cooking is to pound the chicken out until it’s one, consistent thickness.
Hot Tip: If you want to make your breading a bit fresher, mix in some fresh herbs. Fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil, and oregano are all great options.
What to Serve with Parmesan Crusted Chicken
There are a million and one different ways to serve up your parmesan crusted chicken. Here, find a couple of ideas to inspire you…
- Crispy Chicken Sandwiches: Sandwich the parmesan crusted chicken in between a brioche bun with fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, tomato slices, and a smear of pesto.
- Crispy Chicken Salads: Top your favorite salad with a sliced up piece of the chicken. A spinach berry salad or homemade caesar salad are our favorites!
- Crusted Chicken Entree: You can also serve the chicken as a main course alongside creamy mashed potatoes, asparagus with bacon, and cheesy bread.
Storing, Freezing & Reheating
These parmesan crusted chicken breasts are perfect for meal prep and reheating.
- Storing: To keep the parmesan crusted chicken on hand for up to a week, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This will prevent the chicken from drying out or turning soggy in storage.
- Freezing: You can freeze the chicken cooked or raw. To do so, assemble it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (make sure it’s fully cooled down if it’s baked) and pop the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Transfer the chicken into a plastic storage bag for up to 1 month.
Reheating Tip: To reheat the chicken, pop it back in the oven until crispy and warmed through. If you’re reheating frozen and raw chicken, it will likely take 5-7 minutes longer to cook.
FAQ
Can you grill parmesan crusted chicken?
It’s not a good idea to grill parmesan crusted chicken. The breading will stick to the grill grates and tear off.
Can you make parmesan crusted chicken without breadcrumbs?
Yes, you can make parmesan crusted chicken without Italian breadcrumbs. Instead, you can swap in crushed crackers, panko breadcrumbs, or crushed cornflakes.
Can you cook parmesan crusted chicken in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook parmesan crusted chicken in the air fryer. To do so, assemble the chicken pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket and air fry it at 400°F for 5 minutes. Flip it over and air fry it for 3-5 minutes more.
Can you fry parmesan crusted chicken instead of baking it?
Yes, you can deep fry parmesan crusted chicken instead of baking it. To do so, fill a deep skillet with half an inch of canola oil and preheat it over medium heat. Add in the chicken pieces in a single layer and fry them for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
More Tasty Crispy Chicken Recipes
- 5 Ingredient Chicken Cutlets (Crazy Easy) – Crispy fried chicken cutlets
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan – Breaded chicken breast smothered in marinara sauce
- Baked Chicken Legs – Simple, savory chicken legs
- Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs (30 Minutes) – Crispy, pan fried chicken thighs
- Oven Baked Chicken Kabobs – Juicy & tangy and easily baked in the oven
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken breast
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp garlic parsley salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil spray avocado or olive
Instructions
- Butterfly each chicken breast. Using a meat tenderizer, pound out all the pieces until even in thickness.
- In a shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic parsley salt, and black pepper.
- In a second shallow dish, whisk the egg and set it aside.
- In a third shallow dish, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Bread the chicken by dipping the chicken on both sides into the flour mixture, followed by the egg mixture and the breadcrumb mixture.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F at broil or set it to broil low. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the breaded chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer and spray the tops with the cooking spray. Broil at low or 450°F the chicken for 15-17 minutes, turning it over halfway. Enjoy!
This was 'ok'.
Cons:
Chicken tasted underseasoned (will try to marinate next time). Parmesan was a little too strong for my preference (will reduce).
Once chicken flipped, the crunchy top then became a soggy bottom (will use a rack).
Pros:
Easy
Bakes very quick!
Has potential when tweaked towards personal preferences
Hey Lily, thank you for all of your tips, I know they will help others. I would highly recommend using good quality parmesan cheese, this is why we recommend to use freshly grated because it will give you better result. This could be the reason why the chicken tasted under seasoned because good parmesan gives it flavor. If you marinate the chicken next time, path dry before dipping into flour and eggs or the crust would not stick to the check. Hope the tips will be helpful and thank you so much for the feedback, it always helps others!
Did not like it broiled at all. Chicken turned our much dryer than it would in the pan. And only crispy on one side. The recipe is good and definitely worth frying it on the pan.
Hey Zoya- we recommend flipping it half way so both sides get crispy/golden. Thank you for the feedback otherwise. Of course you can pan fry it if you prefer, we just want you to enjoy the recipe! 😀
Hi Natalya,
My oven does not have a broiling option. Can I bake at high temperature (480F) or should I bake with the owen fan on?
I pan fry them not deep fry just a little oil in the pan till golden brown It’s delicious! My husband and kids loves them also our favorite boneless/skinless chicken!
Hey Pero- yes, you can just bake it at 450°F. You can increase temp at the end if you want or need it more golden brown. Enjoy! 🙂
Why is there so much sodium in this recipe?
Hey Lark- it's due to the garlic salt, italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. The nutrition calculations may be off a bit though, it's not easy to get them perfectly accurate although we try. Hope this helps!
Tried it on low broil, and I love how crispy the outside got! Super simple and delicious!
Isn't it amazing how crispy it gets without frying? Thanks for commenting! 🙂
This is one of my favorite recipes! Absolutely delicious!
Yay, love hearing that you found a favorite!
My husbands new favorite chicken! The crust on it makes it that much better!
Hi Jamie- yes, broiling it makes it so crispy while keeping it healthier since it's not fried! Glad you found this recipe and are enjoying it.
Not sure what broil at 450????
I have a bake setting . If I broil, it does not give me the temperature. So do I set at bake at 459 degrees? Also, what is garlic parsley salt? Can I just substitute with garlic salt??
I had the same problem. I can bake at 450 or broil and there is no temp setting. So I had to do a half and half and watch it.
Hey Bernadette- I realize some ovens don't show the temp of low or high broil, mine does. You can either bake it at 450 or use the LOW broil setting. Enjoy!
Hi Susan- I do mean broil at 450. My oven has different broil temperatures but I'm realizing some ovens probably don't show the different broil temps. Your oven should have a high or low broil setting, use the LOW broil one. Garlic Parsley Salt is also known as Garlic Salt, so yes use that. Hope this helps!
Broil at 450??? Do you mean bake at 450?
Hi Kim- broiling can take place between 400-550 degrees actually, so yes, it is still considered "broiling". I'm realizing some ovens don't show the different broil temperatures like mine does. If yours just shows HIGH or LOW broil then select the LOW. Enjoy! 🙂
At what level in the oven? Center or top where you usually broil
Hi Ann, center is fine. Enjoy 🙂