Parmesan Crusted Chicken is an easy but delightful dinner. Parmesan cheese and light panko breadcrumbs combine for the perfect breading on chicken cutlets. Your family will love this crisp and flavorful chicken recipe.
I’m always amazed at the way you can take a few simple ingredients and put them together in so many different ways to make inspiring dinners. This is true yet again with this delicious chicken dinner.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken comes together with just a handful of ingredients, most of which are easy to keep on hand, and with a few simple steps, you have a delicious dinner. I love pairing this with fettuccine alfredo and roasted asparagus, but I have a few other great pairing ideas at the bottom of the post.
Why This Recipe Works
- The chicken gets cut into cutlets. We cut the chicken in half and then pound any thick areas thin. This allows us an extremely quick cook time of just three minutes per side. The crust ends up perfectly golden while the chicken is cooked through, sparing us any oven time.
- We start by patting the chicken dry. This is an essential step to keep the breading attached to the chicken during and after frying.
- We use panko breadcrumbs for the base of the breading. This results in a perfectly crunchy yet light exterior.
How to Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Here is a brief photo overview of how this Parmesan-Crusted chicken recipe comes together. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe, including all measurements.
Prepare the Chicken
Slice the chicken breasts in half, butterfly style. If any part of the chicken is still more than half an inch thick, pound them thin by placing the chicken between plastic wrap and using a rolling pin or meat mallet. You can find more details about how to do this here: How to Make Chicken Cutlets. Pat the chicken very dry. Then season with salt and pepper.
Bread the Chicken
Add the flour to a plate. Whisk the eggs and milk in a shallow dish. In a shallow dish, stir together the panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic powder, and oregano. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, then the eggs, and then the seasoned panko breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with all of the chicken.
Let the Chicken Rest
Let the chicken rest on a wire rack while you heat up the oil for cooking. Allowing the chicken to rest for five minutes helps the breading stick to the chicken during frying.
Cook the Chicken
Heat up the oil in the skillet until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Working with two chicken breasts at a time, fry in the oil for three minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the oil and place it on the prepared wire rack.
Troubleshooting: Keeping Breading from Falling Off
If your breading falls off during frying or when you are slicing into your breaded and fried meat, here are a few tips that will prevent that from happening in the future.
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- Pat the meat very dry. This is the number one culprit for breading falling off. Before you dredge your meat or even season it with salt and pepper, it is important that it is very dry. If there is moisture left on the meat, it will mix with the flour preventing the egg wash from adhering to the flour.
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- Shake off any excess flour. Once you flour the meat, give it a shake so there isn’t a thick flour layer. Just a small amount of flour is needed to mix with the egg wash layer. The flour and the egg wash together will work as a glue to hold your breading mixture to the meat.
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- Let the meat rest for five minutes before frying. This five minute break really allows the egg and flour mixture to work their magic and fully adhere the breading to the meat.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat in the air fryer or oven until heated through.
What to Serve with Parmesan Crusted Chicken
In addition to the roasted asparagus and fettuccine alfredo mentioned above, here are a few great options.
If you make this Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe or any of my other recipes, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Recipe Video
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cutlets, and pounded 1/2 inch thick (453.6 grams)
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (120 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (112 grams)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (25 grams)
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (198 grams or 236.5 ml)
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top. Set aside.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half, butterfly style. If any part of the chicken is still more than half an inch thick, pound them thin by placing the chicken between plastic wrap and using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Pat the chicken breasts very dry and lightly salt and pepper them on both sides.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, salt and pepper
- Add the flour to a plate. Whisk the eggs and milk in a shallow dish. In a shallow dish, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic powder, and oregano.1/2 cup all purpose flour, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tablespoon dried basil, 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Working with one chicken breast at a time, dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, then the eggs, and then the seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Place on the wire rack. Repeat with all of the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest while the oil heats up.
- It should bubble immediately. In a heavy-bottomed large skillet over medium heat, heat up the oil until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit as measured with an instant read thermometer. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, test the oil temperature by dropping a small amount of flour in the oil.1/4 cup vegetable oil
- Working with two chicken breasts at a time, fry in the oil for three minutes on each side, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from the oil and place it on the prepared wire rack. Repeat with each piece of chicken, tenting the fried chicken loosely with foil while you work on the next piece.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Bri says
MWAH MWAH!! I’ve made it twice for my family. It’s beautiful.
I’m so happy to hear that, Bri!