Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (2024)

One of our go to dishes is this quick and easy shortcut Chicken Parmesan recipe. We’ve found that using crushed croutons makes for the ultimate chicken parmesan recipe!

We’ve tried breadcrumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, panko and seasoned panko and we always come back to our same secret for making quick and easy shortcut chicken parmesan recipe and I am pretty sure you’re going to love our way and be hooked forever. Crisp, golden brown chicken perfectly smothered in a light and flavorful marinara and mozzarella cheese that’s been cooked until gooey and delicious, now that’s dinner I want!

I really like to make my own marinara sauce, but if there isn’t time I just go ahead and used jarred. Does it really matter? Nah, but I do think homemade sauce is better.

What is Chicken Parmesan?

Is chicken parmesan Italian? Is chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana the same thing?

Chicken parmesan is breaded chicken that is then covered in a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, parmesan or sometimes even provolone cheese. It’s often eaten over pasta like spaghetti but can be eaten alone or as an entree. Chicken Parmesan Subs are another favorite and we happen to have a really, really good recipe for it if thisQuick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan Recipe isn’t enough for you.

Chicken Parmesan and chicken parmigiana are the exact same thing.

Is Chicken Parmesan Healthy?

Is chicken parmesan healthy? Well, I guess it’s better than some recipes, but no chicken parmesan is healthy. The breaded chicken is cooked in oil and or butter and then topped with gooey cheese and served with a good amount of carb filled noodles.

Is Chicken Parmesan Gluten Free?

Chicken parmesan is not gluten free as the breadcrumbs are often a white bread unless you specifically use gluten free breadcrumbs.

How to Butterfly Chicken

Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, place one hand on top of the chicken and lay the knife even with the chicken, gently sliding the knife through the breast until you reach the other side and open the meat. The chicken should look like two wings, continue to slice through in order to separate the two pieces.

How to Bread Chicken

Now as far as our secret ingredient goes, it’s all about the croutons and you’ll have to just trust me on this. Some Parmesan Chicken recipes call for flour, egg and breading but after testing and testing the recipe it just seemed like it didn’t do enough to go through all that work, so I went back to my mom’s method, crushed foccia or garden herb croutons!

They are crisp, flavorful and have more texture than breadcrumbs normally do so you’re in for an awesomely delicious filet of chicken, so really it’s how to make chicken parmesan without breadcrumbs!

Just place croutons into a zip top bag and use a mallet or rolling pin (you could use a blender or food processor, but not only is that one more thing to get out but it also crushes the croutons too finely.) to crush the croutons.

Place the breadcrumbs in a dish and butterfly the chicken breast or use a meat mallet to carefully smash it out flatter. Dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs on both sides, gently pressing the crumbs onto the chicken. You don’t even need eggs, so if you’ve wondered how to make chicken parmesan without eggs, now you know!

Heat both olive oil and butter in a pan, the oil to reach a higher heat and allow you to brown the chicken and the butter to offer that yummy, buttery flavor. We start with medium high heat, add the chicken and quickly turn it down to medium low heat, cooking the chicken only until it’s a beautiful golden color. Flip the chicken over and cook again.

Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan

After browning the outside of the chicken you’ll want to place everything in a casserole dish and cover with a little tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese which has been shredded versus sliced for better melting. Bake everything for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve your quick and easy shortcut chicken parmesan over spaghetti, or we prefer angel hair noodles with a little extra sauce on the noodles. We also like to top with a little parmesan chicken, thanks to the name and a sprinkle of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley to brighten things up.

What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan?

When I was a little girl I loved making chicken parmesan served with angel hair pasta but as an adult we are often looking for healthier options or feeding those with intolerances, so we sometimes need to know what side to serve with chicken parmesan that isn’t pasta.

We’ve found that mashed potatoes are a great option, or we really like to use a very small amount of sauce on top and serve it over mixed greens with a little lemon juice and olive oil. In that method we try to use less mozzarella and more parmesan cheese instead. It’s so good. Don’t look at the photo but try this version if you want a healthierParmesan Chicken recipe.

Want ourquick and easy shortcut Chicken Parmesan recipe, but looking for something similar for next week? Check out this favorite recipe before you scroll down to make tonight’s dinner.

Panko Crusted Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce

A couple of years ago I won a Knorr Cookoff with thisPanko Crusted Chicken with Lemon Creamsauce! It’s breaded chicken with a creamy sauce!

Chicken Recipes

Looking for more chicken recipes? We always are too, so make sure you try these:

• Easy Asian Orange Chicken
• Thai Peanut Sauce Noodles and Chicken
• Garlic Butter Chicken
• Easy Honey Baked Chicken
• Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

To see all of our family dinner recipes, head here! These are a few of our favorites…

Quick and Easy Shortcut Chicken Parmesan Recipe

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