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Baked Chicken Parmigiana

Snejana Andreeva - 1

By Snejana Andreeva

on Jun 25, 2021, Updated Oct 31, 2024

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This Baked Chicken Parmigiana (Pollo Alla Parmigiana) is absolutely incredible 🌟. My mom bakes it so that it’s a very easy, one-pan meal that can be cooked and served all in the same baking dish. We use our homemade sauce that we 🫙 jar ourselves, but you can use any marinara sauce you love. I personally love Rao’s because it uses really clean ingredients.

  • Why You’ll Love Baked Chicken Parmigiana
  • How to Prepare Baked Chicken Parmigiana
  • Nonna’s Tip 🍗
  • Variations and Substitutions for Baked Chicken Parmigiana
  • Similar Recipes
  • Best Served With
  • Common Questions
  • Baked Chicken Parmigiana Recipe
A close-up of a dish of chicken parmigiana being served. The piece of chicken is topped with melted mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, and garnished with fresh basil. It's being lifted from a white baking dish with more chicken pieces inside. - 5

Why You’ll Love Baked Chicken Parmigiana

My Baked Chicken Parmigiana will be a hit for everyone at the table. This is a healthier and more streamlined way to make the favorite 🇮🇹 Italian classic , no frying required! You can make this super simple by using your favorite store-bought sauce or take some time to make a homemade version. Either way, the results are delicious: the 🍗 chicken is crispy and juicy, topped with rich 🍅 marinara, and a gooey cheesy topping that’s irresistible.

How to Prepare Baked Chicken Parmigiana

🥣 Start by creating your dredging station: a bowl of flour, a bowl of whisked eggs, and a bowl of Italian breadcrumbs.

🔪 Now, using a sharp knife , slice the chicken breasts in half and/or pound thin with a meat mallet.

🍗 Next, dip each piece of chicken into some flour, then eggs (shaking off the excess), and then breadcrumbs (on each side).

A flatlay of ingredients for a meal: raw chicken breasts, eggs, flour, breadcrumbs, olive oil, marinara sauce, mozzarella, grated cheese, cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, black pepper, and fresh basil on a white surface. - 6

🫒 Now, line them all up in a baking dish and then drizzle each one with a touch of olive oil.

🔥 Bake the chicken in a pre-heated 400F (200C) degree oven for 15 minutes.

🌡️ Next, take them out and remove your cutlets (you can let it cool a bit because the dish will be very hot).

🍅 Now, add marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish and then arrange your cutlets back into the same dish.

Raw breaded chicken fillets are placed in a white baking dish on a marble surface, ready for cooking. Surrounding the dish are ingredients like olive oil, tomato sauce, garlic, and parmesan cheese on a white towel. - 7

🧀 Next, add more sauce on top of each one, and then add your cheese of choice.

⏲️ Bake again uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.

🌿 Finally, sprinkle with basil or parsley for garnish and enjoy!

A white baking dish contains four breaded and browned chicken cutlets on a bed of red tomato sauce. - 8

Nonna’s Tip 🍗

This Baked Chicken Parmigiana is great for meal prep . You can have the chicken pieces all pre-breaded and frozen or freeze them already baked (in trays) so they’re ready to defrost and warm up on a busy weeknight.

Close-up of a sliced chicken Parmesan dish on a white plate. Layers of crispy chicken, melted cheese, and tomato sauce are visible, with some fresh basil on top. A baking dish is blurred in the background. - 9

Variations and Substitutions for Baked Chicken Parmigiana

  1. Before baking with the cheese and sauce, you can semi-fry the chicken in a skillet (or even 🌀 air-fry too).
  2. Make this dairy-free by either omitting the cheesy topping altogether or using your favorite non-dairy cheese. 👩‍🍳 Just make sure it’s melty !
  3. You can easily make this dish gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free breadcrumbs and/or almond flour.

Similar Recipes

Close-up of grilled chicken thighs garnished with chopped parsley and lemon slices on a speckled plate. The chicken appears golden and well-seasoned, with a backdrop of fresh parsley leaves. - 10 Close-up of grilled chicken thighs garnished with chopped parsley and lemon slices on a speckled plate. The chicken appears golden and well-seasoned, with a backdrop of fresh parsley leaves. - 11

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

25 mins

A white baking dish filled with roasted chicken drumsticks, potato wedges, and garlic cloves, garnished with herbs. The dish sits on a white surface with a lemon slice, chopped herbs, and a bowl of pepper nearby. - 12 A white baking dish filled with roasted chicken drumsticks, potato wedges, and garlic cloves, garnished with herbs. The dish sits on a white surface with a lemon slice, chopped herbs, and a bowl of pepper nearby. - 13

Greek Lemon Chicken

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A white pan filled with golden-brown cooked chicken thighs on top of a bed of rice, garnished with chopped parsley—an inviting dish perfect alongside Mexican Hot Dogs for a flavorful meal. - 14 A white pan filled with golden-brown cooked chicken thighs on top of a bed of rice, garnished with chopped parsley—an inviting dish perfect alongside Mexican Hot Dogs for a flavorful meal. - 15

One Pan Chicken Dinner

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A white baking dish with golden roasted chicken thighs in pizza sauce, garnished with green and purple olives and fresh basil leaves. - 16 A white baking dish with golden roasted chicken thighs in pizza sauce, garnished with green and purple olives and fresh basil leaves. - 17

Pizza Sauce Baked Chicken

55 mins

Best Served With

  • Continue the Italian theme and serve this Baked Chicken Parmigiana with a side of 🍝 pasta .
  • Homemade crusty bread 🍞 is a must to dip into the extra sauce and cheese.
  • Serve this dish with a beautifully fresh 🥗 Simple Green Salad

Common Questions

This is great for meal prep too, since you can have the chicken pieces all pre-breaded and frozen or freeze them in the casserole dish already baked so they’re ready to defrost and warm on a busy weeknight.

You could absolutely use provolone cheese instead of mozzarella in this Baked Chicken Parmigiana dish.

Make this dairy-free by either omitting the cheesy topping altogether or using your favorite non-dairy cheese. Just make sure it’s melty!

I think you can! I would use your favorite gluten-free breadcrumb instead of Italian breadcrumbs (add in some Italian seasoning if you’d like). Instead of regular flour for dredging, you can use your favorite gluten-free flour. Alternatively, you could skip the dredging altogether and simply top seasoned baked chicken with marinara and cheese, which also works!

Since chicken breasts vary in size, I suggest using a very sharp knife to slice the chicken in half. If you want your pieces even thinner, you can use a meat mallet to pound them thinner.

If you want to double-check the chicken is fully cooked (after baking with the sauce and cheese), use a meat thermometer . 165F (74C) is good to go!

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Video

Equipment

  • ▢ Nakiri Knife
  • ▢ Cutting Board
  • ▢ Mixing Bowls
  • ▢ Liquid Measuring Cup
  • ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
  • ▢ Baking Dish

Ingredients

  • ▢ 3 chicken breasts , ours were big so we cut them in half or use 5 smaller/thinner ones
  • ▢ ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • ▢ 2 eggs
  • ▢ 1 cup breadcrumbs , Italian
  • ▢ salt + pepper , to taste
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ▢ 1.5 cups marinara sauce , homemade or storebought
  • ▢ 1 slice mozzarella , over each piece of chicken
  • ▢ ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

  • ▢ Make a dredging station by adding flour to one bowl, eggs to another bowl, and breadcrumbs to separate dish as well. Season each station with salt and pepper.
  • ▢ Start by breading the chicken by dipping each side into the flour, then eggs (shaking off the excess) and then breadcrumbs on each side.
  • ▢ Line up the breaded cutlets in a baking dish (ours was 9 x 13) and drizzle each one with a touch olive oil. Bake in a pre-heated 400F (200C) degree oven for 15 minutes.
  • ▢ Take the baking dish out of the oven and remove the cutlets. Now, add marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish and add the cutlets back into the same dish.
  • ▢ Add tomato sauce on top of each one and any cheeses of choice. I personally love provolone or mozzarella.
  • ▢ Bake it again (uncovered) for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Basil for garnish is totally optional. Enjoy!

My Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Baked Chicken Parmigiana

Equipment

  • Nakiri Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Liquid Measuring Cup
  • Measuring Cups + Spoons
  • Baking Dish

Ingredients

  • 3 chicken breasts ours were big so we cut them in half or use 5 smaller/thinner ones
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs Italian
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1.5 cups marinara sauce homemade or storebought
  • 1 slice mozzarella over each piece of chicken
  • ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

  • Make a dredging station by adding flour to one bowl, eggs to another bowl, and breadcrumbs to separate dish as well. Season each station with salt and pepper.
  • Start by breading the chicken by dipping each side into the flour, then eggs (shaking off the excess) and then breadcrumbs on each side.
  • Line up the breaded cutlets in a baking dish (ours was 9 x 13) and drizzle each one with a touch olive oil. Bake in a pre-heated 400F (200C) degree oven for 15 minutes.
  • Take the baking dish out of the oven and remove the cutlets. Now, add marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish and add the cutlets back into the same dish.
  • Add tomato sauce on top of each one and any cheeses of choice. I personally love provolone or mozzarella.
  • Bake it again (uncovered) for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Basil for garnish is totally optional. Enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Baked Chicken Parmigiana https://themodernnonna.com/baked-chicken-parmigiana/ June 25, 2021