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    🏠Home » Recipes » Italian Recipes

    Healthy Chicken Parmesan—Oven Baked

    Jun 21, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Jun 21, 2023 · 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Table of Contents Print     Email Pin
    4.41 from 10 votes

    This Healthy Chicken Parmesan can be made at home in about an hour. Make it for two or make it for a crowd with better-than-restaurant results.

    Chicken Parmesan on a plate
    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will love this recipe
    • 🐓Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to Make Healthy Chicken Parmesan
    • ✔️Tips
    • ⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendly recipe
    • ❓FAQs
    • ❄️Storage of Leftovers
    • Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖 Recipe
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    This healthy chicken parm recipe is one of my favorite recipes. It's a wonderful company or date night for two recipe—perfect for casual dining with conversation and wine. I have used it several times as the evening meal before a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

    😊Why you will love this recipe

    • This fancy dish is only 400 calories and 13 grams of fat—a healthy baked recipe.
    • It uses common ingredients and is surprisingly easy to make at home with step-by-step photo instructions. You can do this.
    • The recipe includes extra sauce for serving with pasta.
    • This is the best chicken parmesan for home and will be one of your "special meal" recipes like it has been in our house.

    Serve cooked pasta with sauce and nice bread like Julia Childs French Bread, Dinner Yeast Rolls, or Homemade Bread. Add a green salad or a hot vegetable like green beans with almonds, broccoli, or asparagus.

    For other great Italian meals, try Crock Pot Baked Ziti, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Ziti with Sausage, or Chicken Marinara Sauce.

    This is a simplified version of Cook's Illustrated Ligher Chicken Parmesan (subscription required).

    🐓Ingredients

    • Chicken—skinless boneless chicken breasts cutlets
    • Eggs
    • Panko bread crumbs
    • Cheese—Parmesan and mozzarella
    • Pantry ingredients—AP flour, garlic powder, salt, black pepper

    Simple marinara sauce or use your own

    • Tomato—crushed and paste
    • Aromatics—onion and garlic
    • Pantry ingredients—dried basil, salt, black pepper, optional crushed red pepper.

    👨‍🍳How to Make Healthy Chicken Parmesan

    1. Make simple marinara sauce if not using your own.
    2. Brown the breadcrumbs, cool, and add grated Parmesan cheese.
    3. Trim chicken breasts and cut them into cutlets.
    4. Make a dredge line of spiced flour, egg wash, and breadcrumb mixture.
    5. Process dried chicken cutlets through the dredge line and allow to set for breading to set up.
    6. Bake on a rack in preheated oven—about 20 minutes.
    7. Add marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella and bake another 5 minutes until browning.
    8. Serve with pasta and the remaining sauce.

    ✔️Tips

    • Be sure the chicken is dried with paper towels before breading to help the breading adhere.
    • You can use your own or jar marinara sauce, but mine is much better and easy to make with common pantry ingredients.
    • Freshly shredded Parmesan is preferred.
    • You can use whole eggs instead of whites if you don't mind a little more fat.
    • Use Panko bread crumbs only, do not use regular bread crumbs. You can use flavored ones but realize it will affect the flavor.

    ⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendly recipe

    This is an easy recipe to cut in half. The full recipe makes six servings using 3 chicken breasts for the breaded chicken cutlets.

    1. Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to the number of servings you want.
    2. Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust. All the ingredients will change, but you can make the amount of sauce you want.
    3. Cook for the same amount of time.

    Crushed tomatoes usually only come in larger cans, but you can use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce to decrease waste. The tomato paste will freeze well.

    ❓FAQs

    Can I use a jar sauce to make Chicken Parmesan?

    Yes. But please be aware that the suggested sauce is much better than any jar sauce and does not add much work.

    Is chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana the same?

    Yes. There are different names for the same dish.

    What wine to pair with Chicken Parmesan?

    Yes, it is chicken, but it is also tomato based, so either a red or white will do. In the red wines, try Pinot Noir, Merlot, or other fruity red. For white wine, Chardonnay or sparkling white wines are good.

    ❄️Storage of Leftovers

    If you know you will have leftovers, don't add the sauce or cheese but finish cooking the chicken to 165°. Add them back during reheating.

    Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze airtight for 3 months.

    To reheat leftovers, thaw if frozen, then add the sauce and cheese if needed. Reheat in a 350° oven. Try to avoid the microwave, which can cause the chicken to become rubbery in texture.

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    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Italian Recipes
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    Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    Ingredients for a simple marinara sauce

    Start by making a simple marinara sauce. You can use another sauce of your choice.

    cooking onion in black skillet

    Chop one medium onion and cook over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of oil until clearing—about 3 minutes. Add 4 cloves of crushed or minced garlic and cook one more minute.

    cooking sauce in skillet

    Add one large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz), one small can of tomato paste (6 oz) plus 6 oz water, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional. Let simmer over low heat until needed.

    Spraying PAM on a rack on a foil covered tray

    Preheat oven to 450°. Prep a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a rack. Coat with PAM cooking spray.

    browning bread crumbs in skillet

    Over medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil, brown 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs until brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to cool.

    fileting chicken breast

    Prepare the chicken cutlets by patting dry three large skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces each.) Trim and then cut into cutlets.

    three pan dredge line

    In three shallow pans, prepare a dredge line.

    1. Pan one: place ½ cup AP flour with 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
    2. Pan two: 3 egg whites with 1 tablespoon water - whipped together.
    3. Pan three: the brown bread crumbs ( not hot) and 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (fresh preferred.)
    chicken coated with flour

    Be sure the chicken is dry, then coat them through pans 1, 2, and 3 shaking well after pans 1 and 2. Place on prepared pan.

    tray of coated chicken in oven

    When all are complete, add a little more of the bread/Parmesan mixture on top of each piece to fill any holes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cook until an internal temp of 165°. It takes about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.

    adding cheese topping to chicken with sauce

    Remove from oven and top with about 2 tablespoons of your sauce and mozzarella cheese.

    cooked chicken parmesan on tray

    Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes until browned and 165°—use the broiler if needed. Serve with pasta and the remaining sauce.

    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    📖 Recipe

    Chicken Parmesan on plate

    Healthy Chicken Parmesan—Oven Baked

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This Healthy Chicken Parmesan can be made at home in about an hour. Make it for two or make it for a crowd with better-than-restaurant results.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.41 from 10 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 6 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric

    Breaded Chicken Cutlets

    • 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts - 12 oz. trimmed and cut into cutlets
    • ½ cup AP flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 3 egg whites
    • 1 ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
    • 1 cup mozzarella - shredded

    Simple Marinara Sauce or Use Yours

    • 1 onion - medium chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
    • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
    • 6 oz tomato paste - plus 6 oz water
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper - optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Start by making a simple marinara sauce. You can use another sauce of your choice.
      Ingredients for a simple marinara sauce
    • Chop one medium onion and cook over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of oil until clearing—about 3 minutes. Add 4 cloves of crushed or minced garlic and cook one more minute.
      cooking onion in black skillet
    • Add one large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz), one small can of tomato paste (6 oz) plus 6 oz water, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional. Let simmer over low heat until needed.
      cooking sauce in skillet
    • Preheat oven to 450°. Prep a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a rack. Coat with PAM cooking spray.
      Spraying PAM on a rack on a foil covered tray
    • Over medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil, brown 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs until brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to cool.
      browning bread crumbs in skillet
    • Prepare the chicken cutlets by patting dry three large skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 12 ounce each.) Trim and then cut into cutlets.
      fileting chicken breast
    • In three shallow pans, prepare a dredge line.
      Pan one: place ½ cup AP flour with 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
      Pan two: 3 egg whites with 1 tablespoon water - whipped together.
      Pan three: the brown bread crumbs ( not hot) and 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (fresh preferred.)
      three pan dredge line
    • Be sure the chicken is dry, then coat them through pans 1, 2, and 3 shaking well after pans 1 and 2. Place on prepared pan.
      chicken coated with flour
    • When all are complete, add a little more of the bread/Parmesan mixture on top of each piece to fill any holes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cook until an internal temp of 165°. It takes about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
      coated chicken on rack
    • Remove from oven and top with about 2 tablespoons of your sauce and mozzarella cheese.
      adding cheese topping to chicken with sauce
    • Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes until browned and 165°—use the broiler if needed. Serve with pasta and the remaining sauce.
      browned chicken parmesan on tray
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Use your own sauce or jar sauce, but mine is much better and easy. Do it at the beginning of the cooking and let it simmer until needed.
    2. Instructions for making a smaller "for two" recipe are in the recipe post.
    3. Use larger chicken breasts to make the cutlets. About 12 oz is a good size.
    4. A good Parmesan cheese is important for good taste along with the sauce.
    5. Good in refrigerator for 2-3 days.  Good frozen after cooking for 3-4 months. If you know you will be storing leftovers, do not add the sauce or cheese before storing them.
    6. I prefer reheating in the oven at 350*
     
    Nutrition is an estimate of the ingredients that actually are used to create the Chicken Parmesan. Extra sauce was not included.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 407.8 kcal (20%)Carbohydrates : 20.4 g (7%)Protein : 50.1 g (100%)Fat : 13 g (20%)Saturated Fat : 5.8 g (29%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 1.3 gMonounsaturated Fat : 3.7 gTrans Fat : 0.02 gCholesterol : 132.7 mg (44%)Sodium : 812.2 mg (34%)Potassium : 882.6 mg (25%)Fiber : 1.9 g (8%)Sugar : 3.3 g (4%)Vitamin A : 627.2 IU (13%)Vitamin C : 6.3 mg (8%)Calcium : 302.1 mg (30%)Iron : 2.5 mg (14%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : Italian

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editors Note: Originally Published January 13, 2010, the second week of the blog. I buffed up the discussion with expanded options from a November 2011 version. Photos have been re-edited from several old cooking.

    Molly and Lilly running in leaves

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    1. Karina

      October 13, 2020 at 8:47 pm

      5 stars
      This was awesome. My teens are every last bit. Better than a restaurant and easy for someone like me, who isn’t great in kitchen to manage. Thanks so much!

      Reply
    2. Dick Hynes

      September 29, 2019 at 6:53 pm

      Excellent! Will do again. Very helpful directions.

      Reply
    3. Carolyn Stephens

      September 27, 2019 at 11:44 am

      4 stars
      Homemade marinara is better than any "store bought" stuff. I make a big batch in my slow cooker and freeze it in 24 oz. portions. Because so many recipes call for "a jar of marinara" which are usually 24 oz.
      I love that your chicken parm bakes on a rack and not swimming in sauce. I put the extra sauce in a warmed gravy boat on the table.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        September 27, 2019 at 11:49 am

        Hi Carolyn,

        Totally agree about the sauce but I will be asked over and over if I don't add the option. The small amount on the chicken is important but the cheese and the chicken can cover that sin somewhat but I, like you, want extra sauce for serving.

        Thanks for the note and rating.

        Dan

    4. Mary-Lou

      September 25, 2019 at 12:51 pm

      5 stars
      Hello Dan,

      I made the chicken parmesan yesterday and it came out absolutely delicious. This was my very first attempt at making chicken parmesan and so I was really proud of the results. Your illustrations were very helpful and your instructions were very straightforward. I used my "All-Clad" (D3) baking pan which I recently purchased and I did not use a rack (I did not have one large enough). I have a conventional oven and so I used a 475 F degree setting and cooked the chicken for approximately 25 minutes. Thank you for providing such wonderful and straightforward recipes. I am a busy working professional and so I really do not have the time to spend hours upon hours to prepare a healthy meal.

      Thank you, again!

      5-star

      ~Mary-Lou

      Reply
    5. Donna

      March 13, 2018 at 1:46 am

      Thanks for the quick response! I'll make a note of your recommendations for future reference.

      Reply
    6. Donna

      March 12, 2018 at 2:56 pm

      What if a person still has just a regular oven? (i.e. no convection...just plain 'ol, old-school, regular oven) What would the temp and length of time be? Thanks!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 12, 2018 at 4:21 pm

        Hi Donna,
        Generally, you just add 25 degrees to the recommended convection temperature. It is not quite perfect but a good approximation. I have more of a discussion under my Food FAQs https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-temperatures-abbreviations/
        Dan

    7. Esmerelda

      January 18, 2018 at 11:05 am

      I tried this tonight and it was maybe the best thing I've ever made. I never thought I would ever cook chicken parmesan myself. Thank you so much for your site!

      Reply
    8. Ellen Horak

      August 31, 2016 at 8:04 pm

      Another winner Dr. DAN! My family loved it! Very easy to make and loved that I didn't have to fry...but you would have thought it was!!! My 14 year old daughter my food critic said it was better than Macaroni Grill and mine was crispier. Next time I will do a caesar salad and ciabatta rolls with it... also will try it with veal down the road... My other favorite of yours is the pork medallions wrapped in bacon...that impresses everyone I serve it to!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        August 31, 2016 at 10:47 pm

        Thanks for the note. I have done this one about 20 times, and we still love it and use it for special occasions where I need social time in addition to cooking. I'm able to pop in and out of the kitchen since I have it memorized.

        The bacon pork medallions I haven't done for awhile. But I still love it and need to do again... maybe this weekend.

    9. Connie

      August 09, 2015 at 9:30 pm

      Made the chicken parm tonight and it was delicious and so easy. I was in a rush and had to simplify, so I just used a bottle of Classico (basil) red sauce. (I know). Browned the chicken in oil and placed into a sprayed glass pan. Put sauce on top of chicken, added parmesan and lots of mozzarella. Placed in oven for 20 minutes and it was done. Really good.

      Reply
    10. Christina

      September 24, 2014 at 7:59 pm

      Chicken is in the oven now! Can't wait to try it!!!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        September 24, 2014 at 10:36 pm

        I did this one a few weeks ago. I still love it.
        Thanks for the note
        DrDan

    11. 4425e7d4-e7b8-11e2-8f8e-000bcdcb2996

      July 08, 2013 at 5:23 am

      In step 5 what does 1 T water-wiped mean?

      I have to add that I absolutely love your site! I'm 34 weeks pregnant and just started cooking a lot more. I have used your recipes daily for the last two weeks and feel so pampered compared to how we were eating before!

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell

        July 08, 2013 at 7:27 am

        I'm glad things work for you and eat well for the baby (that's the pediatrician talking). The step five instruction is that tray 2 has 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon of water and to whip them together. A little typo. I will fix it after office hours today.

    12. Brooke

      January 01, 2012 at 10:27 pm

      So can't wait to try this...thanks for sharing your love of cooking with those of us who are crossing our fingers and holding our breath each time we venture into the kitchen...haha. Happy New Year to you!

      Reply
    13. Chris

      November 06, 2011 at 7:53 am

      Interesting trick on pre-browning the bread crumbs, excellent idea.

      And the cheese crisped to perfection in that first shot, just so nice.

      Reply

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