Crispy Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Name: Crispy Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs; 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; 2 Large eggs; 1/4 cup Water; 1 tsp Kosher salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 2 cups Marinara Sauce; 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; 4 tbsp Vegetable oil; 4 tbsp Olive oil

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This delicious and easy recipe for crispy skillet chicken parmesan is perfect for a delicious Italian dinner. With a crispy golden crust and gooey melted cheese, this dish is sure to become a family favorite. It is perfect for any occasion.

Chicken Parmesan is a dish found in every country but Italy 🙂 I grew up eating this dish in the U.S. and many people know it well. It is funny that so many countries have a version or two of this when it is not really authentic Italian. I wonder who started it first?

You will not find this dish in Italy. If you do, my advice would be not to eat at that restaurant because you know it only caters to tourists.

This recipe is one of those Italian American recipes that was adapted by Italian immigrants, my family included. In Italy, they make eggplant Parmigiana with these ingredients. Here we make it with chicken!

There are a few things that you will want to do to make sure you get a crispy coating on the chicken and make sure that coating sticks! This recipe will walk you through those steps and how to make the most delicious chicken Parmesan at home that is crispy, delicious, and it is all cooked in a skillet.

Ingredients for Chicken Parmesan

Crispy chicken Parmesan ingredients on the counter.

Three shallow bowls: each with 2 large eggs, all-purpose flour and bread crumbs mixture (Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, kosher salt and pepper.)
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Pounded really thin into chicken cutlets.
Mozzarella cheese. This is good for that gooey cheese topping.
Parmesan cheese. Try to use real Parmiggiano Reggiano.
Marinara sauce. Store-bought sauce is fine here. Or you can make this quick Italian marinara sauce recipe. We also have a sauce from our mini meatballs recipe which has roasted peppers in it.
Olive oil and Vegetable oil. I like to use some vegetable oil with olive oil since it can handle a higher heat without smoking.

Tips For Crispy Chicken Parmesan

I have tested out this recipe many different ways over the years and these steps always produce a perfect crisp chicken Parm.

Add a little water to the egg wash. This was a game-changer for me. When I started doing this, my chicken parmesan breading became so crisp.
Use Panko breadcrumbs. I know what you are thinking, this is an Italian recipe so why panko? Well, many Italians like me long ago abandoned Italian breadcrumbs for Panko because it always gives a crisper crust.
Let the breaded chicken rest in the fridge! Yup, making the breaded chicken ahead of time and letting it set up for just a little bit in the fridge really helps that breading to stick to the chicken. You only need about 30 minutes but feel free to make it the day before.
Change up the order of the layers. This may sound obvious but if you put marinara right on top of the chicken then your crispy chicken crust will be crispy no more. I add the cheese to the chicken then the marinara and let the cheese act as a barrier to protect that crispy chicken coating. Why go through all that work to make crispy chicken if you are just going to drown it in a sauce that makes it soggy?
Use a mix of vegetable oil and olive oil. Vegetable oil has a higher smoking point than olive oil so I like to add both to my skillet to fry the chicken. The hotter the oil the crisper the outside of the breading is going to be.
Pound the chicken very thin. The chicken will expand (thicken) a bit when cooking so remember that when you are pounding the chicken with a meat mallet. You want the chicken to be really thin. If the chicken is too thick, the juices of the chicken will cause the breadcrumb coating to become mushy.

The Steps

I always like to include pictures of the meals I make in case you are more of a visual learner 🙂 Here are what the steps look like to make this crispy skillet chicken Parmesan:

Adding breadcrumb mixture to the chicken cutlets. — 1. Dip chicken into flour, then eggs and then the breadcrumbs, and place on a tray.

Making the marinara on the stovetop. — 2. Heat or make the marinara sauce.

Frying the chicken in a large skillet on the stovetop. — 3. Heat the oils in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the chicken until golden brown.

Adding the cheese on top of the fried chicken Parmesan in the skillet. — 4. Flip the chicken and fry the second side and add the cheese.

Crispy chicken Parmesan in the skillet on the counter. — 5. Once the cheese melts and the second side is cooked and crispy, top with the marinara sauce.

What To Serve With Chicken Parmesan

If you have felt that heavy feeling after eating chicken parmesan, it is usually not the chicken parmesan that caused that, but the fact that pasta is often served with it.

In our house, we serve only one thing with chicken Parmesan and that is a simple spinach salad made with baby spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. This is the perfect light side dish. When you try this with the chicken Parmesan, your whole view of this dish will change when you stop serving pasta with it 🙂 Trust me!

Storing And Reheating

This dish is best eaten right away. If you want to save some and reheat it, just store it in the fridge for up to 3 days without the sauce and cheese on top. Reheat it in a preheated 350-degree oven to crisp back up for about 15 minutes or so.

I do like to make the breaded portion of this recipe and freeze it before cooking. I then just let it thaw gently in the fridge overnight and I have bread chicken ready to be cooked up for another dinner.

Recipe Faqs

Why is my chicken Parmesan not crispy?

If your chicken Parm is not crispy, you need to cook it a little longer on a higher heat making sure there is enough oil in the pan.

How do you get the coating to stick to the chicken?

To get the coating to stick to the chicken, use the order of flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Also, if you refrigerate the coated chicken for about 30 minutes before you cook them, that will help too.

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