Classic Chicken Parmesan (Chicken Parmigiana)
Crispy and generously seasoned Classic Chicken Parmigiano that's been breaded and baked in layers of tomato sauce (marinara) and cheese. This is a simple non complicated recipe that anyone can make. Extremely delicious comfort food!
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts halved horizontally to make 8 fillets
- 1 Tbsp. Chicken Seasoning 13 Spice
- 3 Tbsps. olive oil for cooking or vegetable oil
For The Flour Bowl
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- 2 Tsps. finely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
For The Egg Bowl
- 3 eggs beaten well
For The Breadcrumb Bowl
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Marinara Sauce/Tomato Sauce
- 3 cups tomato/marinara sauce
To Bake
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
Garnish
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley for optional garnish with the basil.
Instructions
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 210 degrees C.
- Chicken Prep: Slice the chicken lengthwise in half so that you end up with 2 chicken breasts from one. You will end up with 8 equally cut chicken fillets from this recipe. Season generously with chicken spice and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Combine the flour bowl ingredients: 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper and 2 teaspoons of finely chopped Italian parsley.
- Egg bowl: Beat the 3 eggs till nice and fluffy.
- Breadcrumb bowl: Combine 1 cup of breadcrumbs and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. See notes below on breadcrumbs
Layering and Baking
- Dredge each breast in flour, tap off any excess then dip in the egg and let the access drip off then dredge on both sides in the cheese and breadcrumbs mix. If necessary use your fingers to make sure that it has a good coating of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Heat a large non stick pan with the oil to coat the bottom of the pan. If you need to add another tablespoon of oil, please do so. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken in with as many as the pan can take, do not overcrowd the pan, If only 2 cutlets at a time fit, then make them 2 at a time.
- You are sautéing the chicken cutlets so about 3 minutes per side should be sufficient or until they turn a light golden brown.
- Spread about 1 ½ soup ladles of tomato sauce to the bottom of an oven baking dish (See Notes below on the size) Lay the first row of chicken fillets down on the sauce in a line not overlapping if you can help it. Top each chicken with marinara sauce followed by mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered on the middle rack of your oven on 210 degrees C for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly, usually 15 to 18 minutes is more than enough. Garnish with basil and finely chopped parsley if you want.
Notes
Chicken
After slicing the chicken breasts in half lengthwise if you find one or two still thicker than the rest then cover them with a single sheet of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound just the thicker parts so they can be the same thickness.
Breadcrumbs
The best type of breadcrumbs to use is your own homemade version however if you don't have any or the time to make them get a store-bought version. There are many brands but try and get one with a bit of texture in them. Italian breadcrumbs are great for this but not easily found in SA especially in the smaller areas.
Casserole Oven Size
The popular size is normally a 9 x 13 inch which is 33 x 23 x 5 cm for us. Here's the thing, if you're making a smaller quantity of chicken breast use a small oven dish. this recipe used a 30 cm dish which nice and compact for the 4 chicken cutlets per row. I did have 2 overlapping on the top row but that was okay., they still cooked.
What to do with 2 extra and you cant make a row and don't want to overlap them?
Cook them in a pan on the stove or in the oven since it's on in another little dish. Eat them as they are or add them into a salad once they've cooled down properly or make a sandwich! You don't even need a dish, simply wrap them in foil and get them into the lower rack while the Chicken Parm bakes. They make the most succulent chicken breasts! Add in a little sauce too into the foil.
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