One of our go to dishes is this quick and easy shortcut Chicken Parmesan recipe. We’ve found that using crushed croutons makes for the ultimate chicken parmesan recipe!
We’ve tried breadcrumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, panko and seasoned panko and we always come back to our same secret for making quick and easy shortcut chicken parmesan recipe and I am pretty sure you’re going to love our way and be hooked forever. Crisp, golden brown chicken perfectly smothered in a light and flavorful marinara and mozzarella cheese that’s been cooked until gooey and delicious, now that’s dinner I want!
I really like to make my own marinara sauce, but if there isn’t time I just go ahead and used jarred. Does it really matter? Nah, but I do think homemade sauce is better.
What is Chicken Parmesan?
Is chicken parmesan Italian? Is chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana the same thing?
Chicken parmesan is breaded chicken that is then covered in a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, parmesan or sometimes even provolone cheese. It’s often eaten over pasta like spaghetti but can be eaten alone or as an entree. Chicken Parmesan Subs are another favorite and we happen to have a really, really good recipe for it if this Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan Recipe isn’t enough for you.
Chicken Parmesan and chicken parmigiana are the exact same thing.
Is Chicken Parmesan Healthy?
Is chicken parmesan healthy? Well, I guess it’s better than some recipes, but no chicken parmesan is healthy. The breaded chicken is cooked in oil and or butter and then topped with gooey cheese and served with a good amount of carb filled noodles.
Is Chicken Parmesan Gluten Free?
Chicken parmesan is not gluten free as the breadcrumbs are often a white bread unless you specifically use gluten free breadcrumbs.
How to Butterfly Chicken
Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, place one hand on top of the chicken and lay the knife even with the chicken, gently sliding the knife through the breast until you reach the other side and open the meat. The chicken should look like two wings, continue to slice through in order to separate the two pieces.
How to Bread Chicken
Now as far as our secret ingredient goes, it’s all about the croutons and you’ll have to just trust me on this. Some Parmesan Chicken recipes call for flour, egg and breading but after testing and testing the recipe it just seemed like it didn’t do enough to go through all that work, so I went back to my mom’s method, crushed foccia or garden herb croutons!
They are crisp, flavorful and have more texture than breadcrumbs normally do so you’re in for an awesomely delicious filet of chicken, so really it’s how to make chicken parmesan without breadcrumbs!
Just place croutons into a zip top bag and use a mallet or rolling pin (you could use a blender or food processor, but not only is that one more thing to get out but it also crushes the croutons too finely.) to crush the croutons.
Place the breadcrumbs in a dish and butterfly the chicken breast or use a meat mallet to carefully smash it out flatter. Dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs on both sides, gently pressing the crumbs onto the chicken. You don’t even need eggs, so if you’ve wondered how to make chicken parmesan without eggs, now you know!
Heat both olive oil and butter in a pan, the oil to reach a higher heat and allow you to brown the chicken and the butter to offer that yummy, buttery flavor. We start with medium high heat, add the chicken and quickly turn it down to medium low heat, cooking the chicken only until it’s a beautiful golden color. Flip the chicken over and cook again.
Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan
After browning the outside of the chicken you’ll want to place everything in a casserole dish and cover with a little tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese which has been shredded versus sliced for better melting. Bake everything for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve your quick and easy shortcut chicken parmesan over spaghetti, or we prefer angel hair noodles with a little extra sauce on the noodles. We also like to top with a little parmesan chicken, thanks to the name and a sprinkle of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley to brighten things up.
What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan?
When I was a little girl I loved making chicken parmesan served with angel hair pasta but as an adult we are often looking for healthier options or feeding those with intolerances, so we sometimes need to know what side to serve with chicken parmesan that isn’t pasta.
We’ve found that mashed potatoes are a great option, or we really like to use a very small amount of sauce on top and serve it over mixed greens with a little lemon juice and olive oil. In that method we try to use less mozzarella and more parmesan cheese instead. It’s so good. Don’t look at the photo but try this version if you want a healthier Parmesan Chicken recipe.
Want our quick and easy shortcut Chicken Parmesan recipe, but looking for something similar for next week? Check out this favorite recipe before you scroll down to make tonight’s dinner.
Panko Crusted Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce
A couple of years ago I won a Knorr Cookoff with this Panko Crusted Chicken with Lemon Cream sauce! It’s breaded chicken with a creamy sauce!
Chicken Recipes
Looking for more chicken recipes? We always are too, so make sure you try these:
- Easy Asian Orange Chicken
- Thai Peanut Sauce Noodles and Chicken
- Garlic Butter Chicken
- Easy Honey Baked Chicken
- Grilled Hawaiian Chicken
To see all of our family dinner recipes, head here! These are a few of our favorites…
Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Quick and Easy shortcut Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Description
Ingredients
Chicken Parmesan
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts, pounded flat and then cut in half to make 4 chicken breasts
- 1 Cup Foccia or Garden Herb croutons, we get ours at Costco, crushed in a ziploc bag
- 2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, we prefer precious brand or fresh mozzarella, grated
- Angel Hair Pasta
- 1/2-3/4 cup Marinara Sauce, recipe follows
- Butter and olive oil
Marinara
- 2 Carrots, finely minced
- 1/2 Small Onion, finely minced
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 Small Can tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/4-1/2 Cup Olive Oil
Instructions
Chicken Parmesan
- Heat Oven to 350
- Coat each breast in the crushed croutons.
- Heat a skillet to medium and add a drizzle of olive oil and a little butter. (I skip the butter sometimes. It just gives good flavor, but it's not necessary)
- Brown each side of the chicken and place in a baking dish.
- Cover in marinara and then shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 min or until done through and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.
Marinara
- Heat olive oil in a pot (just a sauce pot will do fine. No need for a large soup pot) over medium heat.
- Add onions and begin to sautee.
- After 1-2 Min add the garlic and sautee until fragrant.
- Add carrots and cook until the carrots are tender.
- Add all other ingredients and turn heat down to low. Let simmer 1- 1 1/2 hours, remove bay leaves and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
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Samantha
This is another winner ! I bought Italian croutons , I probably won’t go back to regular breadcrumbs !
Sweet Basil
Yummmmm! Thank you so much Samantha!
Diana
Hello. Can’t wait to try this. Can you tell tell me how many ounces of crushed tomatoes please? I will also try making the marinara sauce.
Sweet Basil
Hi Diana! They should be the 28oz cans. Enjoy!
Jill
Delicious. I did use store bought marinara next time I’ll make the sauce.
Sweet Basil
Yay! Thank you!!
Rita Alexander
I clicked on a link in your newsletter that said “quick and easy 30 minute recipe for your kids to cook”, ….. This recipe says
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Sweet Basil
Hey Rita! It takes that long if you want to make you’re own marinara. If you use store bought marinara, this recipe is done in less than 30 minutes. If you do make the marinara at home, it simmers for a long time. It could be cooked anytime and then saved to make this chicken parm recipe.
Donna Moore
Thank you for your easy meals
Sweet Basil
You’re welcome! Thanks for the support!
Lola
Wow this chicken is really good. The croutons give it an amazing dimension of flavor. Doubt I will go back to regular bread crumbs. Also, I love that I didn’t have to set up separate plates for egg, flour, crumbs. My kitchen is very small and this recipe is quick and yummy! Thank you.
Sweet Basil
Thank you for the feedback Lola! I am all about making things quick and easy for those busy evenings!
Katie T
I love your recipes but the amount of adds and pop up videos that now your site make it a pain to navigate 🙁 I understand why but hate how time consuming it has become to just to read thru your recipes. The good food is what keeps me coming back but not as often.
Sweet Basil
Hi Katie,
I’m sorry to see that is happening for you. We have 3 ads, any others are unfortunately not ours. (But to be honest, we HATE ads and wish there wasn’t a single one!)
Brittany Audra @ Audra’s Appetite
Chicken parmesan is literally one of my favorite meals ever!! SO good 🙂
Sweet Basil
It’s the best!
Rona Berry-Morin
I’ve added this recipe to this week’s menu plan.
Joanna
Hey, does this marinara sauce freeze easily?
Barbara Bakes
I love the idea of using seasoned croutons for breading the chicken. It looks delicious!
Foster Mom
I'm making this today…can't wait!! Love this blog!