Chicken Parmesan is an Italian-American dish which is a definitive favorite in this house! The inspiration, if you can call it that, came from two sources. The first source was from one step-son who works late and picks up his dinners on the run rather than eat warmed up home cooked meals when he comes home. I’ve given up offering it to him because he’s an adult, and it’s his money. Besides, I wouldn’t mind eating this as a leftover! The other step-son, saw his meal in the fridge the next morning and said, “I’m about to eat that!” To myself, I thought, this picky child will eat this? I’m going to make it for him! To be honest, many adventurous things I cook that are delicious, he won’t eat. The second source was my youngest son who lives in Colorado. He snap chatted me pics of this exact meal that he was prepping for his dinner many miles away. Well, I thought, ” I better get on this train and ride it!”
You will need a breading station consisting of three dishes. The first station will be the flour whisked with salt and pepper. The second station will be 3 beaten eggs blended with parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil chiffonade. This process is similar to the method I used for Chicken Francaise with Capers ; fresh parsley was used instead of basil in that delicious recipe. Go check out the link! 
After dredging the patted dry chicken breasts in the flour mixture, Dip both sides in the egg/parmesan/basil mixture.
The last station, which should be located nearest to the cooking pan, is filled with Panko bread crumbs. Press them into both sides.
After this, the chicken can be placed in the pan with the melted butter and oil. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown . Place them on a side dish lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil. 
Next, in a prepared pan, place about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of the Classic Marinara Sauce on the bottom of a prepared dish. This marinara sauce is amazing and can be made ahead of time. You can leave it chunky, which is fabulous, or for the picky child’s satisfaction, pulse in a food processor or blender until smooth. He saw it while it was cooking and said, ” I’m not eating that!” My response to him was, “You DO eat this sauce every time I make it but I blend it to make it smooth just for you!” I know he appreciates my effort to satisfy him. True story.
Because of the size of the pounded chicken breasts, I used two dishes They need their space sitting in this luscious sauce Other recipes call for sauce to be placed on top of the chicken before the cheese. I find placing it on the sauce helps to maintain the moisture of the chicken to prevent it from drying out. The cheese on the top will help contain that moisture.
In about 15 -20 minutes, the cheese should be melted. While it’s in the oven, cook the pasta. Often, I will have brought the salted pasta water to a boil earlier and then turn it off until I’m ready to finish up a meal as it will return to a boil quickly.
Plate your pasta and spoon some of the sauce from the dish onto it. Scoop under the chicken to catch more of the sauce and place on top of the pasta. To garnish, you can add more basil chiffonade. Serve and enjoy immediately! If you have any leftovers, store the chicken with remaining sauce. When reheating, you will find the chicken to have maintained its moisture and be just as delicious! By the way, I was told by my step-son that this was on the top of his food chart, right under my Alfredo. Now that was a compliment! 🙂
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5-6 servings
- 4 c. Marinara Sauce...jarred or homemade(Classic Marinara Sauce is linked above.)
- 1 pound of pasta-your preferred type
- 5 portion-sized chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds
- Coatings:
- ½ c. flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 2 T. chopped basil chiffonade
- 1-1/2 c. Panko breadcrumbs.
- 2 T.extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T. butter
- Shredded Mozzarella or Italian Cheese blend
- Prepare the Marinara sauce, if making homemade.
- Pound chicken breasts within a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin, one at a time, until about an even ½" thickness. Pat dry with paper towels an set aside. Using a Ziploc bag will make clean up easier.
- Over low heat, place olive oil and butter in a 12" skillet; whisk to blend once melted.
- Dredge chicken breast into flour, coating both sides.
- Then, dip both sides into the egg mixture.
- Finally, press both sides into the panko crumbs.
- Place into the oil/butter mixture and cook about 3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned.
- Place on a paper towel-lined dish. Add equal amounts of butter and oil to pan if needed to cook the other 2 pieces.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and begin to boil salted water for the pasta.
- In a large prepared pan, place about 2 cups of the Marinara sauce. Place chicken breasts on top and with about a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. I actually used 2 pans placing 3 breasts in one and 2 in the smaller one(8" x 8")with an additional 1-1/2 cups of sauce on the bottom.
- Place pans in the oven and boil the pasta once water is ready.
- In about 15 minutes, the cheese should be melted and the sauce a little bubbly. Remove chicken from the oven.
- Drain pasta and place desired amount on plate. Spoon some of the sauce over the pasta from the pan and place a chicken breast on top of that. Garnish with additional basil chiffonade, if desired.
