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Parmesan Chicken Breast worth Fighting Over (and For)
When we were kids, my mother used to make this Parmesan chicken breast dish that was so good we would fight for drippings, every last crumb. She would start with a whole chicken, remove the skin and bones (and use them for making chicken stock), and then cut the meat into small pieces. (She made “chicken nuggets” before anyone called them that!)
Then she would dip these chicken nuggets into melted butter, dredge them in breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and bake them.
My god were they good.
The Secret to the Best Parmesan Chicken Breast
Several years ago when I asked mom for her parmesan chicken recipe, she hadn’t made it in so many years she had completely forgotten how. After several false starts, my father and I finally recreated what comes close to her original recipe.
The secret, of course, is the melted butter.
When we made the parmesan chicken with olive oil, it was okay, but not the earth-shattering deliciousness we were looking for. At least that part of the recipe my mother remembered! (halfway through our recipe experimentation)
Also, when you use boneless skinless meat that has been cut into small pieces, the ratio of buttery crunchy coating to the meat is much higher than regular coated baked or fried chicken.
This recipe has been updated. First published in 2006.
Parmesan Chicken Recipe
Note that the color of your roasting pan may make a difference in your results. A dark roasting pan (as pictured) may impart more heat and may brown the bottom of the chicken more.
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
- 1 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or 2/3 cup if you are using a Microplane zester)
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (can sub regular salt)
- A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into 1-inch to 2-inch wide pieces
Method
1 Preheat oven to 450°F.
2 Pat chicken pieces dry: Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Patting the chicken pieces dry will help the chicken pieces have crispy breading when baked.
3 Prepare melted butter and breadcrumbs: In a small bowl, stir the minced garlic into the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper.
4 Dredge chicken pieces in butter and Parmesan mixture: Piece by piece, dip the chicken pieces into the garlic melted butter, and then dredge into the Parmesan breadcrumb mixture to coat.
Note that if your chicken pieces are cold, they may cause the melted butter to thicken, leaving too much butter sticking the chicken pieces. If you see this happening, just reheat the butter.
5 Place chicken on roasting dish: Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 (or larger) roasting dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. (You may need to use more than one roasting pan.) Drizzle with remaining garlic butter.
6 Bake: Bake uncovered at 450°F 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Parmesan Chicken
Just made this with boneless skinless thighs and otherwise proceeded as written. I was heavy-handed with the breading and ran out, so I just sautéed the extra chicken in the leftover garlic butter. No one was sad about that. We ate the parmesan chicken with cacio e pepe and a green salad, which was just ridiculously good.
xxxxxyyyyy
Wonderful Andrea, I’m so glad you liked it! It would be perfect with sides of cacio e pepe and green salad, good choices!
Needed a REALLY quick meal for my son who just popped in from college. Didn’t have any thawed fresh chicken, but had precooked chicken breasts. Quickly thawed them, then followed the recipe, but put the fresh parmesan in the bread coating.
Turned out beautifully! Served with a salad and broccoli cheddar pasta. THANK YOU SO MUCH! My son thinks I’m a gourmet chef.
xxxxxyyyyy
Love recipe. Can this be prepared and frozen or cooked and frozen and reheated ?
Hi, Madison! We haven’t tested the recipe by preparing it ahead of time, and freezing. But if you were to try it, I would make the recipe all the way through including cooking it. Then let the chicken cool to room temperature. Freeze the chicken in a single layer, and store it in a ziptop bag or freezer safe container. When you want to eat it, reheat the chicken from frozen by placing it in a single layer on a baking sheet at 400F for about 20 minutes. Make sure you flip the chicken halfway through. If you try it, let us know how it turns out.
Firstly, I’m not the best in the kitchen but I came across this recipe and decided to have a go. I made it for my son who is 11. He devoured it in no time. He had it in a tortilla wrap with lettuce.
Thanks for this simple yet delicious recipe.
xxxxxyyyyy
I’m so glad your son liked it Sophia! Love the idea of putting it in a wrap with lettuce.
Amazing for my toddler! He hardly ever eats protein, and never chicken, and this was a huge hit! Will be making this again and again.
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