30 minutes and one skillet is all you’ll need to make classic skillet chicken parmesan with perfectly crispy chicken cutlets, flavorful marinara, and gooey cheese. This will become an instant staple on your dinner rotation!
Everyone’s favorite Italian dinner in only 30 and in one skillet? Yeeeeees pass me a plate already.
Chicken Parmesan is unashamedly my go-to when I’m craving Italian but most of the time I’m not necessarily craving all the hassle it takes to make it.
Enter this skillet version that makes minimal dishes and only dirties one pan! Did I mention it’s the best dang chicken Parm I’ve literally ever had??
I’m talking SUPER crispy breadcrumbs coating juicy chicken cutlets, a generous amount of flavorful marinara, gooey fresh mozzarella, and a large amount of fresh Parm broiled on top. All crowning your most impressively large bowl of spaghetti noodles.
It’s what we call dinner perfection in the biz, guys.
This Skillet Chicken Parmesan Features…
- Crispy pan-fried chicken cutlets
- Flavorful marinara sauce and gooey cheese broiled on top
- Lots of fresh basil and spaghetti for serving
- An easy one-skillet dinner that comes together in 30 minutes
Making the Chicken Parmesan
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken breasts
- Egg
- 2% or skim milk
- All-purpose flour
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Spices
- Unsalted butter
- Olive oil
- Marinara sauce
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Spaghetti
- Basil
Choosing Your Chicken
I recommend using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. This cut of chicken can easily be pounded thin so it cooks up quickly and perfectly crispy.
To prepare the chicken breasts for cooking, cut each breast in half width-wise, place between two sheets of wax paper, and gently pound using a meat mallet or rolling pin until chicken is about 1/2-inch thin.
Tips for Perfect Chicken Parmesan
- Use standard breading procedure for chicken – this means a coating of flour, beaten egg/milk, and then breadcrumbs. This standard procedure will help the breading stick to the chicken during cooking.
- Pan fry chicken – because the chicken is very thin it will only take a couple minutes to fry up perfectly crispy in a combination of butter and olive oil.
- Don’t overcrowd pan – if your chicken cutlets are too big to fit in an even layer in pan, I recommend cooking it in batches.
- Warm marinara sauce – this will help the cheese melt quickly on the chicken cutlets. Warm the marinara sauce over medium heat in a saucepan or 30-60 seconds in microwave.
- Broil cheese on top – spoon marinara sauce on chicken, layer the mozzarella and Parmesan on top, and broil 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Quickly broiling the chicken instead of baking it will help the chicken coating to remain crispy.
- Top with fresh basil after broiling – a little fresh basil adds a pop of flavor to the chicken after broiling.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this chicken.
- Use another cheese – try a combination of fresh burrata and asiago.
- Add veggies – sauté up some mushrooms, zucchini, baby spinach, or green beans and serve alongside chicken parm.
- Make it gluten-free – use a gluten-free flour and panko for chicken breading.
Serving Suggestions
I recommend serving chicken Parmesan hot from the broiler with hot cooked spaghetti or angel pasta as a base. Make sure to serve extra marinara sauce for the pasta + fresh minced basil on top as well!
It’s the crispy chicken coating that really stands out on this chicken parm! It holds up so well under the marinara sauce and all that gooey cheese broiled on top and boy, you’d better be serving it up on a mess of altogether way too much pasta.
Your family is going to love this chicken and YOU are going to love how insanely easy it is to make! I spy a new dinner rotation staple.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More skillet dinners to make next!
Skillet Chicken Parmesan
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup 2% or skim milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup marinara sauce warmed
- 6 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Cooked spaghetti for serving
- Additional warmed marinara sauce and fresh minced basil for serving
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast in half width-wise so you have 4 chicken cutlets. Gently pound chicken cutlets flat to about 1/2-inch thickness between two sheets of wax paper using a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk together until smooth. Place flour in a separate shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder in third shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Dredge chicken cutlets in flour, shaking off excess. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in panko until fully coated. Place cutlets on a plate.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet once hot and swirl to evenly coat pan. Add chicken in a single layer to pan (work in batches if needed, using additional butter and olive oil) and sear 3-4 minutes on first side. Flip chicken, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until chicken registers 165F. Transfer chicken to a clean plate.
- Remove pan from heat and allow to cool slightly. Nestle chicken cutlets back into pan in a single layer. Spoon about 1/4 cup of warmed marinara sauce over chicken and top with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Broil chicken Parmesan 2-3 minutes on high several inches from heat until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve chicken over hot spaghetti with additional marinara and fresh basil on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 4/6/26.
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
Oh wow this looks amazing and I totally feel the same way about one pot dinners!
Sarah says
Thanks Julie! One-pot dinners rule!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Yay for one skillet meals! Love the poem 😉 Looks delicious, Sarah!
Sarah says
Haha! Thanks Denise!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
Oh yes! I can tell you that I love 3 minute dinners! And this one looks positively delish. Loving it and pinning it. 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks for pinning, Kristi! You rock, girl!