If you love chicken Parmesan, these easy Chicken Parmesan Cutlets are a faster, lighter way to enjoy the classic. Thin chicken cutlets are dusted with flour (gluten or all purpose flour), pan-seared until golden, topped with marinara and Italian cheeses, then briefly baked until bubbly. They're ready in about 30 minutes and perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
This chicken Parmesan cutlets recipe is not the classic breaded version, but it delivers all the flavor with less work. Instead of a three-step breading station, the chicken is simply dusted with flour, pan-seared, topped with pasta sauce and Italian cheeses, then baked until melted. It's built from two favorite basics: golden chicken cutlets and my easy 30-minute pasta sauce, which I make ahead and freeze.
↓ Recipe
Chicken Parmesan Cutlets Recipe Highlights
- 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.
Ingredients You'll Need
For chicken parmesan cutlets, 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
- Other cheeses - 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. Also try a grated packaged Italian cheese blend
- Use other sauces - 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.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Cutlets
Pre-heat your broiler or oven to finish and melt the cheese at the end before serving.
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 chicken parmesan cutlets 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. And be sure to serve extra sauce on the side. For garnish use a little chopped fresh Italian parsley or fresh basil leaves.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover chicken Parmesan cutlets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until hot and the cheese is melted again. The microwave works, but the coating may soften.
To freeze, cool completely, then freeze the cutlets with the sauce and cheese on top. The texture won't be quite as crisp after thawing, but extra sauce helps protect the chicken and keeps it moist. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F until hot.
More Chicken Recipes
And for a few more Italian-inspired recipes ideas try lemon garlic shrimp scampi or these braised Italian chicken thighs.
⭐️If You Make Chicken Parmesan Cutlets
If you make this 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
Easy Chicken Parmesan Cutlets
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
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.
Notes
Nutrition
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Barbara Werth says
Wow this was super easy and very good. Big hit with my family and will make it often! Thank you Sally for another great recipe!
Paul Brown says
Wow! Great recipe for chicken. It was juicy and tender. I used the chicken this time to make chicken pesto sandwiches and will used the leftovers on my salad for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipe.
Sally Cameron says
Thanks for commenting Paul, using on sandwiches and salad are great ideas.
Ashley Jones says
I made this last night and it is delicious! Just wondering what is considered one serving for the nutritional information? Is that 2 prepared chicken breasts.
Ashley Jones
Sally Cameron says
Hi Ashley. Good question! If you have 1 - 1 1/4 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts and you split them in 4 pieces, 1 piece would be a serving. It's 4-5 ounces. Does that make sense?
Jake Penrose says
I made it for my parents. Delicious
Maria says
Do you know if this would work with almond flour?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Maria, I have not tried almond flour, but I do use the coconut flour as I am GF. I listed the whole white wheat as an option for readers who are not GF. If you do try it with almond flour, please report back as to how it came out. Thanks!
Maria says
I made it last night with almond flour and it was delicious!! Will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Sally Cameron says
That's great! Thanks for reporting back Maria. I will try that myself, and I'm sure it will help other readers as this is one of my most popular recipes.
Jill says
Hi, it's not letting me click on the link for the homemade sauce. The recipe turned out great otherwise!
Sally Cameron says
Thanks Jill, I will check the links right now. Glad the recipe came out well.
Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says
This looks AMAZING!!! Totally pinning to make later this week.
Charles says
Can we use traditional prego sauce?
Sally Cameron says
You can, sure, but read the ingredient label. Go for no added sugar. The Prego I looked at had added sugar and used canola oil, not something I like personally, especially if it is not organic, because it will be GMO. Use what is best for you, but try to make a smart choice. And making your own is so easy! And it freezes well.
Steven Henderson says
Hi Sally - this recipe has become a favorite for our family of four. Even our finicky two year old quickly demolished her serving. This is a nice, light twist on chicken Parmesan and I espcially like the anise seed flavoring in the pasta sauce. What a great add-in!
Lynne D says
95 degrees here tonight, so I was looking for something stove top with skinless chicken breasts...found this. Like some others I used jarred sauce and a combo of mozz and parm cheeses. Served with angel hair...hubs liked it...will definitely have again sometime!
Steve says
Spelling correction: You say to "trim off tenders", I think you meant tendons! That confused me for a minute.
Sally Cameron says
Hi Steve. Sorry if that was confusing, but I do mean the tenders. It's that little side piece that is attached to a boneless skinless breast. There is a tendon within that tender that you can remove with a knife if you wish. Some chicken breasts have the "tender" removed, so that is maybe why it did not make sense to you. Other packages or butcher counters leave them on. You can cook them right along with the chicken breast. It looks nicer and is easier to handle when separated.Does that help?
Tammie says
Loved this recipe! So much quicker and lighter than traditional chicken parmesan but very tasty. I was able to make it quickly as my grandson roamed the kitchen. Thanks!
i mcnamee says
I was looking for a different recipe to try with chicken breast & saw this one, as I had most of the ingredients I gave it a go and I am glad I did. It was delicious, I used some oil and butter to fry the chicken then put some of my sauce on top with the parmesan and grilled for a minute, the taste was yummy, my husband said it was a 10 out of 10 and I will definitely be adding it to my list. I made my own arrabiata sauce with garlic onion and chilli softened in spray oil then added passata and vegtable stock and simmed for 20/25 mins, I used taglateli pasta. Thank you for an amazing recipe but also for an easy recipe that only required standard ingredients that were already in my fridge/freezer/store cupboard.