Chicken Parmesan with Marinara Sauce

Chicken Parmesan is one of those classic Italian-American dishes that never goes out of style, and honestly, it’s one of the easiest things to make at home. Crispy breaded chicken cutlets, rich homemade marinara, and a blanket of melted mozzarella cheese — it’s the kind of meal that feels restaurant-worthy yet manageable at home.

Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you. The marinara sauce can easily be made ahead of time, and the chicken is simply pounded out then breaded and pan-fried. It’s a straightforward recipe that delivers every single time. It’s exactly why chicken Parmesan has held its place on Italian-American restaurant menus for decades. Once you make it at home, you’ll never feel the need to order it out again. In the mood to keep cooking? Check out some of my other favorite Italian-American classics like easy chicken piccata and bucatini carbonara.

Pro Tips for Perfect Chicken Cutlets

• Pound the chicken to an even thickness. This is the most important step. Uneven chicken means uneven cooking — you’ll end up with dry edges before the thicker parts are cooked through. Aim for about ½” (1.3cm) thickness throughout.
• Set up your breading station before you start. Flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow dishes lined up in order. Having everything ready before you touch the chicken makes the process cleaner and faster. I like using these eighth sheet pans since they are shallow.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and causes the chicken to steam rather than fry, which ruins the crispy coating you worked hard to build.
• Only flip once. Resist the urge to move the chicken around. Let it develop a deep golden crust on one side before flipping — about 3–4 minutes per side depending on thickness.
• Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels. A wire rack keeps air circulating around the cutlet and prevents the bottom from getting soggy while you finish the rest of the batch.

How to Make This Chicken Parmesan Recipe

For the marinara sauce:

1. Sauté onion. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt, then add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Assemble the sauce. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, basil and cans of tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon so that the sauce isn’t chunky.
3. Simmer. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens.
4. Blend some of the sauce. To make the sauce less chunky, I take about 3 cups of the sauce, let it cool, pulse it in a blender for 30 seconds then stir it back in with the rest of the sauce. It gives it a good consistency. Stir in the sugar then season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the chicken cutlets:

1. Pound out chicken. While the sauce cooks, cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and place each piece of chicken into a large plastic zip-top bag. Use a mallet to gently pound them so they are about ½” thick (1.3cm). Be careful that the meat does not break.
2. Make dredge. To bread the chicken, set up three separate bowls. Place the flour in the first bowl. In the second bowl beat the eggs. In the third bowl combine the fine breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, garlic power, onion powder, and parsley.
3. Heat oil. Add enough vegetable oil to a large frying pan so that it is ¼-inch deep. Heat until the surface of the oil is shiny.
4. Dredge chicken. Take a piece of chicken and dredge through the flour then the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs.
5. Fry chicken. Fry until the chicken is completely cooked through and golden brown on each side, about 8 minutes.
6. Drain chicken. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil. Continue the process until all of the chicken is fried.

For serving:

1. Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of water to the boil; add the salt and bring back to the boil. Pour in the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain and toss with sauce. Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Ladle in the enough of the marinara to lightly coat the pasta.
3. Top chicken with mozzarella and broil. Heat broiler to high. Arrange chicken on a baking sheet and top with slices of mozzarella. Broil until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.
4. Assemble and serve. Place one piece of chicken on each plate. On the side of the chicken, serve pasta topped with extra sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this chicken parmesan recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Eggplant Parmesan with Burrata
• Crispy Polenta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
• Roasted Chicken with Italian Salsa Verde

Tried it? Loved it? Tweaked it? Leave a review below and tell me how it went – I’m all ears (and always hungry).

Chicken Parmesan with Marinara Sauce

By Kylie Mazon-Chambers

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Serves 4

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Ingredients:

For the marinara sauce:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ cup chicken stock
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their liquid
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• ▢ ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ Kosher salt, as needed
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

To make the chicken cutlets:

• ▢ 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon onion powder
• ▢ Kosher salt, as needed
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
• ▢ ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ▢ Vegetable oil, for frying, as needed

For serving:

• ▢ 1 pound spaghetti
• ▢ 16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
• ▢ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

For the marinara sauce:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt, then add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, basil and cans of tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon so that the sauce isn’t chunky.
• Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens.
• To make the sauce less chunky, I take about 3 cups of the sauce, let it cool, pulse it in a blender for 30 seconds then stir it back in with the rest of the sauce. It gives it a good consistency. Stir in the sugar then season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the chicken:

• While the sauce cooks, cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and place each piece of chicken on a cutting board sandwiched between sheets of parchment paper. Use a mallet to gently pound them so they are about ½” thick. Be careful that the meat does not break.
• To bread the chicken, set up three separate bowls. Place the flour in the first bowl and season with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. In the second bowl beat the eggs. In the third bowl combine the fine breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and parsley.
• Add enough vegetable oil to a large frying pan so that it is  ¼-inch deep. Heat until the surface of the oil is shiny.
• Take a piece of chicken and dredge through the flour then the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs shaking off any excess coating.
• Fry until the chicken is completely cooked through and golden brown on each side, about 8 minutes total.
• Remove to a baking rack to drain the excess oil. Continue the process until all of the chicken is fried.

For serving:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the salt and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes.
• Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Ladle in the enough of the marinara to lightly coat the pasta.
• Heat broiler to high. Arrange chicken on a baking sheet and top with slices of mozzarella. Broil until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.
• Place one piece of chicken on each plate. On the side of the chicken, serve pasta topped with extra sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Notes:

While many recipes add the tomato sauce over the breaded chicken and broil the cheese on top – I prefer to add the cheese directly onto the chicken and broil it. This way the chicken remains crispy until it’s served.

Nutrition:

Calories: 1392kcal | Carbohydrates: 147g | Protein: 80g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 1459mg | Potassium: 1061mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1311IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 897mg | Iron: 6mg

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