This Healthy Chicken Parmesan is oven-baked in about an hour with chicken cutlets and pantry ingredients. Perfect for two or a crowd with better-than-restaurant results.
This fancy dish is only 400 calories and 13 grams of fat—a healthy baked recipe using common ingredients and is surprisingly easy to make at home with step-by-step photo instructions. You can do this.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken—breast cutlets
Eggs
Panko bread crumbs
Cheese—Parmesan and mozzarella
Pantry ingredients—AP flour, garlic powder, salt, black pepper
Simple marinara sauce—Tomato (crushed and paste), onion, garlic, dried basil, salt, black pepper, optional crushed red pepper.
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Featured comment from Karina:
"This was awesome. My teens are every last bit. Better than a restaurant and easy for someone like me, who isn’t great in the kitchen, to manage. Thanks so much!"
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.
👨🍳How to Make Healthy Chicken Parmesan—Step-by-Step
1. Start by making a simple marinara sauce. You can use another sauce of your choice.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Preheat oven to 450°. Prep a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a rack. Coat with PAM cooking spray.
5. Over medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil, brown 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs until brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to cool.
6.Prepare the chicken cutlets by patting dry three large skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces each.) Trim and then cut into cutlets.
7. 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.)
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Remove from oven and top with about 2 tablespoons of your sauce and mozzarella cheese.
11. 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.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
✔️Tips to make it right every time
- 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.
Easy Italian recipes you will love
For other great Italian meals, try Crock Pot Baked Ziti, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Baked Pasta and Sausage. Or, for low-fat recipes, try Chicken Marinara Sauce and Skinny Cajun Chicken Alfredo.
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How to serve
Serve cooked pasta with sauce and nice bread like Julia Childs French Bread, Easy Dinner Rolls, or Basic White Stand Mixer Bread. Add a green salad or a hot vegetable like green beans with almonds, broccoli, or roasted Parmesan asparagus.
Finish the healthy meal with Healthier Carrot Cake. Or skip the low-fat option for Apple Crisp, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, or my Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe.
⬇️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.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to the number of servings you want.
- 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.
- 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.
❄️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.
❓FAQs
Yes. But please be aware that the suggested sauce is much better than any jar sauce and does not add much work.
Yes. There are different names for the same dish.
Yes, it is chicken, but it is also tomato-based, so either 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.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Healthy Chicken Parmesan—Oven Baked
Ingredients
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
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Start by making a simple marinara sauce. You can use another sauce of your choice.
- 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.
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 450°. Prep a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a rack. Coat with PAM cooking spray.
- Over medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil, brown 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs until brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to cool.
- Prepare the chicken cutlets by patting dry three large skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 12 ounce each.) Trim and then cut into cutlets.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove from oven and top with about 2 tablespoons of your sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- 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.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- 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.
- Instructions for making a smaller "for two" recipe are in the recipe post.
- Use larger chicken breasts to make the cutlets. About 12 oz is a good size.
- A good Parmesan cheese is important for good taste along with the sauce.
- 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.
- I prefer reheating in the oven at 350*
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
This is a simplified version of Cook's Illustrated Ligher Chicken Parmesan (subscription required).
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.
Karina says
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!
Dick Hynes says
Excellent! Will do again. Very helpful directions.
Carolyn Stephens says
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.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
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
Mary-Lou says
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
Donna says
Thanks for the quick response! I'll make a note of your recommendations for future reference.
Donna says
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!
DrDan says
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
Esmerelda says
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!
Ellen Horak says
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!
DrDan says
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.
Connie says
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.
Christina says
Chicken is in the oven now! Can't wait to try it!!!
DrDan says
I did this one a few weeks ago. I still love it.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
4425e7d4-e7b8-11e2-8f8e-000bcdcb2996 says
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!
Dan Mikesell says
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.
Brooke says
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!
Chris says
Interesting trick on pre-browning the bread crumbs, excellent idea.
And the cheese crisped to perfection in that first shot, just so nice.