If you love chicken parmesan, try this fast and crispy chicken parmesan recipe. It yields golden crispy chicken cutlets without pounding, breading, and less mess that goes with it. Top with your favorite pasta sauce, Italian cheeses, and it's ready to serve in about 30 minutes. The whole family will love it. It’s the answer to what’s for dinner and a new family favorite. Leftovers make a terrific chicken parmesan sandwich.
Crispy chicken parmesan is not a classic breaded parmesan chicken recipe. It's faster, lighter, and easier using chicken cutlets, pasta sauce, and Italian cheeses. It's less messy, as you don't have to set up a 3-stage breading station with egg wash and bowls. Try this quick method for the best chicken parmesan. I think you'll like it.
I’ve taken two of my basic recipes, the Golden Chicken Cutlets and my easy 30 Minute Pasta Sauce and combined them to make this easy chicken parmesan.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Chicken parmesan is an easy, family pleasing recipe.
- It's a lighter faster way to make chicken parmesan; no heavy breading,
- No frying, no pounding, and a lot less dishes than the chicken parmesan traditional recipe.
For another fast and easy recipe using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, try this chicken salsa verde. Use a jarred sauce or homemade.
Recipe Ingredients
For Crispy Chicken Parmesan, here is what you need.
- Chicken breasts: choose boneless chicken breasts. Buy them by weight versus by the the piece. Choose big ones as they will be sliced in half horizontally to make cutlets (1 ½ pounds for 2 chicken breasts).
- Seasoning: sea salt, ground black pepper, and granulated garlic or powdered garlic.
- Flour: Instead of a breadcrumb mixture, all you need is flour for a light crispy crust. For gluten-free choose coconut flour, brown rice flour, cassava flour, or GF blend. If you are not GF, I like white wheat all purpose flour. Choose what works for you.
- Cooking fat: extra-virgin olive oil or butter. The combination of the two is nice.
- Cheeses: for speed use pre-grated or shredded mozzarella cheese. For the Parmesan cheese, get a chunk of the real deal and grate it fresh, or get a container of fresh grated. Not the powdered stuff. You can use fresh mozzarella but it is harder to grate as it's very soft.
- Sauce: use your favorite rich homemade tomato sauce or good store-bought sauce.
- Herbs: fresh chopped basil, oregano, or parsley for garnish and flavor.
Please see the recipe card for quantities and seasoning like salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Chef's Tip: Buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If the chicken breasts are small and not big enough to slice into cutlets, do this instead. With the smooth side of a meat mallet or pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts to a thinner, more even thickness. They might take a few extra minutes of cooking but not much longer. For a more detailed explanation, see this grilled chicken post.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use other Italian cheeses or non-Italian cheeses for a twist on the traditional. Look for cheese that will grate and melt well. Swap monterey jack for mozzarella. For more ideas see the recipe FAQs section near the end.
- Crispy chicken cutlets can be topped with other sauces such as green enchilada sauce for a Mexican twist (with jack cheese), a tropical pineapple mango salsa, and many others. Chicken cutlets make a terrific basic recipe.
- Another option, use a grated packaged Italian cheese blend.
Recipe Instructions
Pre-heat your broiler or oven to finish and melt the cheese at the end before serving.
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Chef's Tips:
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally. A sharp, thin slicing knife makes it easy.
- Season the chicken, not the flour, for better control over your seasoning.
- Before cooking, gently shake off excess flour. A light dusting gives the chicken a golden color, crisp texture, and toasty flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Serve crispy chicken parmesan (also called chicken Parmigiana) with a side of steamed broccoli, broccolini, green beans, zucchini noodles, or your favorite pasta and a simple green salad with this easy homemade Italian dressing. A little garlic bread is good too if you're not concerned about carbs. And be sure to serve extra sauce on the side.
For garnish use a little chopped fresh Italian parsley or fresh basil leaves.
Can you freeze chicken Parmesan? Yes you can freeze it. After freezing and thawing it may not be as crisp, but it will still taste good. Freezing the cutlets covered in sauce protects the chicken. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then preheat an oven to 350°F, line a baking sheet with foil, and bake until chicken is hot.
Cooking for a date night? You might need dessert to go with this Italian-style meal, try this gluten-free lemon olive oil cake made with raw almonds.
Recipe FAQs
Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese are traditional for chicken parmesan, but you can substitute other cheeses if you cannot get them.
Cheese substitutions for chicken Parmesan include cheeses that will melt well and grate well. Provolone is an alternative to Mozzarella as is a young, mild white Cheddar (versus aged cheddar with a strong flavor). Try Swiss cheese or Monterey Jack, but the flavor will be a bit different than traditional Mozzarella.
For a Parmesan alternative, try Asiago cheese, Pecorino (sharper and saltier), Piave (younger than parmesan), or Grana Padano (milder than pecorino, less crumbly). All can give you a fun twist on tradition while still making a delicious meal.
Pasta noodles are a natural side dish. To go low-carb, use zucchini noodles. For gluten-free, use a GF pasta (and GF flour in the recipe). Good green vegetable sides include, steamed broccoli or broccolini, green beans, and zucchini. A leafy green salad is always a good side dish to include, dressed with a homemade Italian dressing.
Absolutely! Good choices for gluten-free flour include a gluten-free blend, cassava flour, brown rice flour, and coconut flour. I've used them all for my chicken parmesan recipe.
More Chicken Recipes
And for a few more Italian-inspired recipes ideas try lemon garlic shrimp scampi or these braised Italian chicken thighs.
⭐️Did you Make This?
If you make this crispy chicken parmesan recipe, please comment and let me know, and if you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating! They really help other readers.
📖 Recipe
Fast and Crispy Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet broiler safe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts get two large ones if possible
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ½ cup flour of choice wheat, coconut, cassava, brown rice or GF blend. They all work.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups homemade pasta sauce or favorite store brand
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup grated or shredded mozzarella or Italian blend
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, oregano or parsley optional garnish
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Instructions
Set-up
- Pre-heat the broiler and place the rack on the level below the top, heat the sauce, line a baking sheet with foil.
Slice cutlets
- Place the chicken breasts flat on your cutting surface with the rounded, smooth side facing up. Trim any tenders and set aside to cook with the cutlets or freeze for later use. Place the palm of your hand on the chicken breast. Slice the chicken breasts into equal halves horizontally, keeping your knife parallel to the cutting board (see photos in post). Be careful about starting your knife in the middle so the bottom piece does not come out too thin.
Season cutlets
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic. Sprinkle flour over the chicken and lightly coat both sides. Shake off excess.
Cook cutlets
- Heat a large 12" saute or fry pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. When it’s bubbling and hot, add chicken cutlets, smooth side down first. Allow the cutlets to cook until they are golden. You can tell when they are almost ready to turn as the edges start to get white. Turn the cutlets and cook another minute or two, depending on how thick the cutlets are. When done, they will feel firm to the touch but still give just a little.
Finish and serve
- Pre-heat the broiler on high and fit the rack on the second down from the top. Place cooked cutlets on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer. Top with sauce and cheeses. Broil briefly until cheese melts. Top with fresh herbs and serve. Serve any extra sauce on the side.
Abbey says
OMYGOODNESS!!! This was such an easy and delicious recipe!! I had all the ingredients at hand and the sauce was the prefect topping! Definitely a keeper! Thanks!!
Rebecca says
I have been looking for new recipes and came up pin this one today and decided to try it.
My 7 year old son tends to be a picky eater. I did use pizzas sauce I had on hand and mozzarella cheese but my son loved it and had 3 helpings!
It's a keeper!
Sally Cameron says
Love to hear that Rebecca! Thanks for commenting. Happy you have found something that works for your son!
Marvin Anderson says
Confused, what is white whole wheat flour?
Sally Cameron says
Good question Marvin! white whole wheat flour is milled from hard white spring wheat, a lighter-colored grain than traditional red wheat. White whole wheat has a milder taste than regular whole wheat flour. You can find it in most grocery stores, Trader Joes. I would buy King Arthur brand. Find more information on their website at KingArthurFlour.com.
Mary says
I made this and loved it! I used with spaghetti squash.
Daphne says
This was easy and we loved it!
Lokho Kotile says
My brother and I made this dish for our parents and they loved it. We are such great kids haha.
Sally Cameron says
You are great kids to cook for your parents! I am so happy that you guys cook. Many kids today never learned and need to. Its an important skill if we are going to eat healthy, be healthy and live healthy. Good for you!
Barry Anderson says
I made this for my wife and it tasted delicious. You'd think shed be happy but no.....not even a thank you or a compliment....Im so undreappreciated
Sally Cameron says
Well I appreciate that you took the time to comment back Barry. That made my day. Glad you liked the recipe. Maybe she will wake up tomorrow and say, hey that was a great dinner. Thanks for cooking. I am sure that she does appreciate it.
Anna Stuart says
I like to salt & pepper the cutlets, lightly coat them in flour, dunk them into beaten eggs, and finally dredge them in a 50/50 mix of Italian breadcrumbs & parmesan cheese. Then I fry them in olive oil and they come out so delicious we usually just eat them like this with buttered noodles and a big salad. The Italian breadcrumb/parmesan mixture makes the chicken scrumptious!
Sally Cameron says
Hi Anna. Thanks for commenting. What you've described is a different recipe (process) than what this one is. Yours is a traditional 3-step breading process. Mine is lighter. While I am sure yours tastes good, I wanted to lighten it up a bit, make it little faster and less messy. There are many ways to approach recipes, from traditional to new twists. Do what works best for you and your family. I do, as you do, season my chicken first rather than season the flour. Better control over flavor that way.
Ryan says
Earlier today I was just Googling boneless skinless chicken breast recipes and my surfing lead me here. After reading the recipe and starting at the photo, I knew this was the recipe for dinner tonight. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. I couldn't find coconut flour at my local Kroger, so used the white whole wheat flour instead. Also, instead of grated parmesan I used mozzarella cheese I had on hand. I've tried a dozen chicken parmesan recipes from around the web, I haven't found one I wanted to keep until now! It turned out delicious! I also used the 30 minute pasta sauce recipe with this dish. I will never buy bottled pasta sauce again! This was my first experience with this site and definitely not my last.
Sally Cameron says
Love to hear that Ryan. You made my day! Thanks for commenting. Great idea on the Mozzarella! If you ever have any question on recipes,just let me know. I want to make all of my readers happy and successful in the kitchen.
Eboni B. says
Do you have to use parsley or oregano?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Eboni. You can skip the herbs but they do add a nice fresh flavor and color at the end. I's up to you!
Jake Penrose says
Ok first of all DELICIOUS!! I added a little more breading onto the Breasts but still Delicious. For a side dish I did a bow tie noodles salad and it went great with it. Thank you for the recipe!
Kathy Mills. says
This was delicious! I was worried that my husband might expect more breading -- but, when I mentioned it, he said that he thought it was perfect, as is. Thank you for a great recipe!
Jessica says
Very good taste was delicious.
Walter says
Great recipe! For a little extra depth of flavor, I melt a couple of anchovy filets in the hot oil before adding the onion. Don't worry! The sauce won't taste the least bit fishy. It adds a bit of salty flavor (so you can ease up on the actually salt a bit) and also gives the sauce a deep earthiness that's just wonderful.
I keep a small bottle of anchovies in the fridge just for this use and the occasional Caesar salad. They keep forever.
michelle says
Very easy recipe, but i think it needs alittle more breading, but very good
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
When I clicked on your site I immediately got hungry. Chicken Parmesan has been on my to-do list. I will be checking out the coconut flour.