Chicken parmigiana, also known affectionately as chicken parm, or chicken parmesan, might be the most well-known and widely requested Italian-American dish in the New York metro area. Who can resist perfectly fried chicken cutlets dressed in tomato sauce and topped with melted mozzarella and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese?
Want to learn more? We discuss the roots of this dish and why Italians dislike it and Americans love it in episode 17 of The Sip and Feast Podcast – Chicken Parmigiana.
Growing up on Long Island, I considered myself lucky to be able to find chicken parmigiana in any type of food establishment: restaurants, delis, pizzerias, and diners all have their versions, and every Italian-American nonna seemed to have her version as well.
And I just recently discovered that chicken alla parmigiana is also a beloved Australian pub dish known as “parma” or “parmi”.
This dish is not found in Italy but was likely inspired by the Italian parmigiana di melanzane also known as eggplant parm.
In the US, chicken parmesan is traditionally served with a side of pasta with marinara but is also great with a side of garlic sauteed broccoli rabe.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. Thinly sliced chicken cutlets are best for chicken parm.
- Flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. These create the coating on the chicken cutlets.
- Olive oil. For shallow frying the cutlets. You can also use vegetable oil.
- Marinara sauce. We use a simple homemade marinara with plum tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil to coat the chicken.
- Mozzarella. Full fat block mozzarella works best for chicken parm.
- Parmigiano Reggiano. Finely grated for topping the chicken.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make the sauce
Note: This recipe uses this 15-minute marinara. Feel free to use your own sauce or store-bought sauce.
- Slice or mince 5 cloves of garlic. If you want more garlic, go for it! (Photo #1)
- Hand crush 1 28-ounce can of whole plum tomatoes. Alternatively, you can pulse them in a blender. (Photo #2)
- Heat a large pan to medium-low heat for 2 minutes, then add in a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and saute until lightly golden (about 2-3 minutes). (Photo #3)
- Add the crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Let the sauce cook for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. If you like dried oregano or fresh basil feel free to add it at this point, although this is optional. Remove the sauce from the heat, set aside, and move on to the chicken prep below. (Photo #4)
How to make the chicken cutlets
Note: This recipe uses our chicken cutlet recipe. If you have cutlets already made, or storebought, just skip this part.
- Pound thinly sliced chicken cutlets to 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick. To a shallow bowl add 1 cup of all-purpose flour mixed with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. To another bowl add 3 large beaten eggs, and in another bowl add 1 1/2 cups of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. (Photo #1)
- Dredge the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour and shake gently to remove the excess. (Photo #2)
- Place the floured cut into the beaten egg mixture and drip off any excess. (Photo #3)
- Coat the cutlet in the breadcrumbs on both sides, then place the cutlet on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and repeat the process for all remaining cutlets. (Photo #4)
- Heat a heavy pan with at least 1″ of olive oil or vegetable oil. A cast iron or Dutch oven works best. When the oil reaches 350-370f begin frying the cutlets by gently lowering them into the oil. (Photo #5)
- Work in batches to not overcrowd the cutlets and to allow easy flipping. (Photo #6)
- Cook the cutlets for 3 minutes per side. (Photo #7)
- Remove the cutlets and place on paper towels or on a wire rack. (Photo #8)
How to assemble the chicken parm
Note: Chicken parmigiana can be prepared with sauce on the bottom like shown below or with the sauce just on top of the chicken cutlets to keep them more crispy as I demonstrated in this chicken parmigiana YouTube video. The choice is yours!
- Preheat the oven to 400f. If you are opting to prepare your chicken parmesan with sauce, begin by adding marinara sauce to the bottom of a baking dish, or oven-safe pan. I used a cast iron pan for my pictures below, but a baking or casserole dish would work better. Grate 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese and a 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and set aside. (Photo #1)
- Add the chicken cutlets to the pan and top with enough sauce to cover each piece. (Photo #2)
- Top the chicken cutlets with the grated mozzarella cheese. (Photo #3)
- Sprinkle about half of the parmesan cheese on top and place in the oven. Depending on the state of your cutlets, the cooking time will vary. If you previously made the cutlets or bought them from the store, they may be cold if they have been in the refrigerator. If they are cold, they will need to bake for 12-15 minutes to heat them through. If you just made the cutlets and they are still warm from being fried, they will only need to bake for ~5 minutes. Once they are hot, turn on the broiler and broil them for 30-60 seconds to melt and lightly brown the cheese. Be careful to keep a close watch so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Serve with some extra sauce on the side and enjoy! (Photo #4)
Top tips
- Sauce. Some people prefer a crispy chicken parm while others like it swimming in sauce. Sauce to your personal preference. If you prefer crispier chicken parm, consider placing the cutlets on a baking sheet and topping them with sauce rather than layering sauce on the bottom of the pan. You can also serve sauce on the side for anyone who’d like more.
- Chicken parm heroes. To make a great sandwich, hero, hoagie, sub, etc. go heavy on the sauce since the bread will soak up some of it. Top the bread with the cutlets and cheese and bake until the cheese melts, similar to the method used in my meatball parm hero recipe.
- Opt for homemade. While you can easily make chicken parmigiana with store-bought cutlets and jarred marinara, I recommend using homemade cutlets and marinara as outlined above for the best, most authentic-tasting chicken parm.
More Italian-American recipes
If you love chicken parm, I think you’ll enjoy these other awesome Italian-American recipes!
- Sausage and peppers – the classic Italian-American festival food!
- Chicken Milanese – crispy cutlets with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
- Chicken Francese – thin cutlets in a buttery lemon white wine sauce.
I also think you’ll love chicken eggplant parm which combines both iconic dishes into one!
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Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional, see notes below
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano optional
For the chicken
- 1 pound chicken cutlets thin-sliced, about 6 cutlets
- 1 cup flour for dredging, will not need all flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1-2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
Instructions
Making the sauce
- In a saucepan saute the garlic in a ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden. Add in the hot red pepper flakes (optional) and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the tomatoes, stir together, and bring the sauce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and oregano (optional).
- Taste test the sauce, and adjust salt and pepper if required. When satisfied set the sauce aside.
Frying the cutlets
- Mix 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a 1/4 teaspoon pepper into the flour.
- Dredge the cutlets in the flour and shake off excess, then dip into the egg, and then into the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded cutlets onto parchment paper and set them aside.
- Pour the olive about ¾” high into a large heavy frying pan and heat oil to 350 to 370f. The burner should be set to about medium heat and take about 5-7 minutes to get to ~350f.
- When the oil reaches frying temp, add the cutlets into the pan and fry in batches. The cutlets will take approximately 3 minutes per side. Place finished cutlets on a wire rack to cool.
Assembling the chicken parmigiana
- Preheat oven to 400f
- Place a thick layer of sauce (about a 1/4") on the bottom of a large baking dish. Space out the chicken cutlets in the dish and cover them with another thick layer of sauce. Note: You do not have to use all of the sauce.
- Next sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese, dividing evenly between all the chicken cutlets. Sprinkle half of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.
- Bake the chicken parmigiana in the oven for 5 minutes (12-15 minutes if starting with cold cutlets) then broil for 30-60 seconds to brown the top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese all over. Let the chicken parmigiana settle for 5 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you follow the full recipe for the sauce, cutlets, and assembly, the chicken will only need 5 minutes to bake before broiling, due to the cutlets still being warm. If using cold cutlets the baking time will need to be increased to 12-15 minutes before final broiling.
- Any extra sauce can be served on the side.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven at 350f until warm.
- SAUCE/NO SAUCE: as mentioned in the body of this post chicken parmigiana can be served wet with the sauce on the bottom and top of the chicken. It can also be enjoyed with just a bit of sauce on top to retain the cutlet’s crispiness factor. This is 100% a personal choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi James what would be a good complement for the parmigiana? I have a squash Soup to start and a guava cream cheese for dessert. I thought some greens and garlic bread would go well with your recipe. Thanks a lot , Jorge
Hi Jorge, thanks for the comment. A side or pasta and a garlicky green, like garlic sauteed broccoli rabe would be great. Garlic bread goes well too!
These cutlets are amazing!!! I get so many compliments when I make this for people. And my three year old son thinks I’m a hero. He talks about them all day when he gets these for lunch.
We make these cutlets in a big batch and they are now a staple in our fridge.
I will say that Jim’s Sunday Sauce (reduced to be very thick) is what I top them with when making the actual chicken parm. This keeps everything crispier.
This was great, simple and easy. For years I had a hard time getting the cutlets just right. At close to 1/4 inch thick they cook in a flash. I also discovered “bound breading” a French technique of which this is. That changed everything scallopini-wise. The only thing I do differently now is I make sure the meat is close to room temperature, pound out the scallopini to about 1/4 inch thick, make sure the meat is dry, dredge as you do, and rest on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes so that the Panko or bread crumbs absorb the egg wash. I use unseasoned Panko. I do lightly salt and pepper the meat first and let it temper while it comes to room temperature. There are a million variations to scallopini. I often switch up to pork cutlets. Both chicken and pork are great substitutes for veal to make scallopinni and are easy to to do. I like your recipes James!
Jim,
Can the cutlets be made a few days ahead and frozen? Would they need to cook through in the oil until done and then freeze? Can I add sauce and cheese after reheating them through? Or should I only fry them as long as your recipe calls for and then heat and bake through on the day of use? Would I add the cheese and sauce right away while baking them the rest of the way or finish baking and then add sauce and cheese?
Hi Clair. If you are making a few days ahead, I would just refrigerate the cooked cutlets (can also make the sauce a few days ahead too) and then assemble on the day of and bake everything together until hot.
Coming from an Italian family, chicken parnesean was a staple .
Mom fixed her recipes from scratch
She purchased thin sliced chicken & pounds it thinner if needed. She either made marinara sauce or used left over Sunday sauce (which has lots of flavor due to meatballs that flavored the sauce. Both are good.
They are prepared exactly like yours
She didn’t use flour but breadcrumbs did adhere to the chicken.
When I first made this dish it was the first time I ever fried something at home and let me say it made me feel like a real chef! I’ve made this dish about 5 times now and I plan on making it Christmas Day for about 20 family members. Is it ok to do all the coating of the chicken the night before and have it sit in the fridge for about 24 hours?
Hi Matt, yes, you can coat the chicken and have it sit in the fridge. Jim recommends placing them on parchment paper so they don’t stick. We’re glad you enjoyed and hope you all love it on Christmas!
Made this with my son the other day. Have made it before but using the homemade sauce was a game changer. My sons empty plate tell me 5 stars. I really enjoy the functionality of the website as well. Great work on all ends
Hi Mark, so happy you and your son enjoyed the chicken parm and appreciate the comment!
This was the first recipe I got from you on Sip & Feast, & it was the first time it actually came out correctly. I was literally jumping up & down in the kitchen because I couldn’t believe I got the breading to stay on the chicken. And the chicken itself was moist & flavorful. I was so pleased to finally have this dish (I hadn’t eaten it in about 2 yrs) because restaurants make chicken parmesan loaded with salt. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jim.
Hi Dee Dee, I’m so happy you had success with this recipe and truly appreciate the comment! Thank you!
OMG JIM! This was when you first started your blog! It makes me admire you even more than before. I started my business on a shoestring budget, worked 2 jobs, and was finally able to devote myself to my business exclusively after about 4 months (BTW – cleaning business) (BTW – I’m really good at this!).
Your business has grown, I really like the format. You must know that James wants to please you, so he takes his cues from you. I don’t care, he’s wonderful and I love the way you include your family. I’m sure that with all the hard work that you have put into your business (dream), you will be a huge success!!!!!!!!
Hi Heather, thanks for the kind words. We really appreciate you following along with us!
How well does the leftovers freeze?🤔 Interested
In making this dish.
Hi Shelia, this one freezes well. Hope you enjoy!
Hi James and Tara,
I have to thank you Jim for this recipe. I have been making chicken cutlet Parmesan for years but I never did it this way. It’s so funny how you say “Some people love it swimming in sauce!”well that’s the way I was taught and I never really cared for it that way…so I tried it your way and it came out the best I’ve ever made!!! We have a women’s gathering in my church, a bunch of us teach women to cook so guess what I taught them how to cook? 21 women have your recipe here in California… I was born and raised in Long Island New York Lake Ronkonkoma, second generation Italian and Puerto Rican…everybody wants to learn how to cook good New York, Italian food here! Anyway know that you’re a blessing and I’m very grateful for you guys. Keep up the great work.,love ya Maria
Hi Maria, we are so happy to hear you loved this recipe so much that you taught it to your womens group! That’s one of the best compliments ever. Thank you for the comment and for following along with us!