Chicken Parmesan

For your Italian comfort food fix, try Jennifer’s Chicken Parmesan with her quicky and easy raw marinara sauce!

Chicken Parmesan, for me, is kin to one of my comfort food favorites, Chicken Fried Steak!  I love the tender, juicy and seasoned meat with that crunchy, crispy crust.  The savory marinara sauce and gooey mozzarella knock it out of the park for me when I’m in the mood for Italian!

In this Chicken Parmesan recipe, I call for jarred spaghetti sauce, which is just fine if you want something quick and easy to grab and use.  But if you have just a few more minutes, I have an almost equally quick and easy Raw Marinara Sauce that is outstanding.  I highly recommend it for this recipe!

Tips for the best Chicken Parmesan:

1. Pound chicken thin & even:  I like to place my chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. You can also use large freezer bags. Make sure to use the smooth side of the meat mallet when pounding chicken.  If you don’t have a meat mallet you can use a rolling pin.  The purpose of pounding out the meat is to get it into 1 even layer, about 1/2-inch thick. This will also tenderize the chicken and help it cook evenly.
2. After breading the chicken, place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the breading to firm up and adhere well to the chicken before frying. (This can be done the day before.)
3. Use a heavy skillet: Fry in a heavy-bottom pan, like cast iron.
4. Use plenty of oil or shortening. Canola or vegetable or Crisco shortening work well. Fry in deep oil at 375-400 degrees. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature.  If the oil is too hot, remove from heat and let it sit until the temperature lowers. NEVER add anything to the oil to cool it.
5. Place chicken on a baking sheet with roasting rack. This keeps it crispy and prevents sogginess on the bottom of the chicken. 

Looking for more Main Dish Inspiration? Try these reader favorites!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Grilled Balsamic Steak Pizza with Blue Cheese

Salmon Florentine

Have you made any of my recipes? Post it on Instagram and tag @jennifercooks123 and #jennifercooks!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Parmesan

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Jennifer Locklin

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups panko Japanese breadcrumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese sliced
• 2 24 oz jars tomato & basil spaghetti sauce or 1 recipe Raw Marinara Sauce
• vegetable oil for frying
• 2 pounds spaghetti cooked

Instructions

• Place boneless chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Starting in the center and working out to the edges, pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet until the chicken is even in thickness.
• In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and dry Italian dressing mix; mix well. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together milk and eggs until well blended. In a separate shallow bowl or pie plate, place 1 cup of flour. Coat each chicken breast with flour, shaking off excess. Dip into milk mixture, then into breadcrumb mixture, coating evenly and pressing into chicken.
• Heat about 1/4-inch of oil inn a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
• In a large casserole dish or lasagna pan, pour 2 jars of spaghetti sauce in and place fried chicken on top of sauce in one layer. Top each piece of chicken with a thick slice of cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with hot spaghetti noodles and garlic bread.