One of the best chicken breast recipes you will ever make with a crispy golden Parmesan crust. Quick enough for an easy weeknight dinner or impress everybody at fancier meals.
Introduction
You can never have too many great chicken recipes. Just follow the easy step-by-step photo instructions for a great meal.
I based this on an allrecipe.com recipe. I added some panko bread crumbs and garlic since all chicken must have garlic at our house. With the Parmesan combined with paprika and garlic, you get a tasty main dish.
My Rating
A solid 5. One of my best chicken recipes. Also, makes a great leftover.
🐓Chicken Breast
Chicken breasts were 6-8 oz. years ago are now mostly about 10-12 oz or more.
Try to use chicken breasts that are all about the same size. The results overall will be better since they will cook more evenly.
Trim any trimmable fat and look for blood vessels and even bones. Pat dry and do not rinse. See Chicken... To Rinse or Not To Rinse? for a safety discussion about rinsing.
Some breasts are just too thick to cook well. By evening out the thickness some, you will ensure more even cooking. Otherwise, the thinner parts of the breast will be overcooked by the time the thickest part is done.
Try to thin those fatter chicken breasts to about ¾ inches in the thickest parts. You can use a meat mallet or even the bottom of a heavy pan. Please be sure to cover the breasts while doing this to prevent unsafe splatter. I like to use a freezer bag for safety.
♨️Cooking Method
Always place the thicker part of the breast towards the outside of the tray when baking chicken breasts.
I suggest cooking chicken on a rack if you have one. You will get airflow under the chicken and better crispier results.
You really need to get a rack if you don't have one. Be sure to get one that is "oven-safe." Some racks are cooling only and have a coating.
If your local store does not have them, Amazon will. I list a few in Cooking for Two Shop, but others will work.
👨🍳The Coating
This recipe requires grated Parmesan cheese. I much prefer freshly grated for a much better taste.
If you let the chicken sit for 5 to 10 minutes after coating before cooking, the coating will stick better.
I like to add a bit more coating to the top before going into the oven to thicken the crust. Also, a light spray of PAM (oil) will prevent that dried bread crumb thing that can happen in the oven.
Final Note: There is enough coating for four breasts, but I only had three, so the pictures are of three large breasts, but the recipe will say four so you can scale it correctly.
📖Chicken Breast Recipes
Parmesan Mayonnaise Baked Skinless Chicken Breast
Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Oven Fried Chicken - Is it KFC?
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional oven. Trim and pat dry 3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts.
Prep a baking pan. Aluminum foil for easy cleanup, a rack to help crisp all sides, and a good spray of PAM. If you don't have the rack, just spray or oil the foil.
Grate ½ cup of fresh Parmesan. Fresh is better but use pre-grated if necessary. Set up a dredge line with one egg whipped in pan one. In pan two, add ¼ cup AP flour, ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons paprika, and ½ teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Dip the chicken breast in the egg, coat well and shank off excess.
Dip the chicken in the breading mixture and pat it on. Shake off the excess. Place on the prepared rack
Add a little extra topping to each breast. Give them a light spray of PAM. Bake until an internal temp of 165°. About 35 minutes.
📖Full Recipe
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts - trimmed
Coating - enough for 3-4 breasts
- 1 egg
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese - grated - fresh if possible
- ¼ cup AP flour
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° for a conventional oven.
- Trim and pat dry 3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts. Even out the thickness, if needed, to about ¾ inches in the thickest parts.
- Prep a baking pan. Aluminum foil for easy cleanup, a rack to help crisp all sides, and a good spray of PAM. If you don’t have the rack, just spray or oil the foil.
- Grate ½ cup of fresh Parmesan. Fresh is better but use grated if necessary. Set up a dredge line with one egg whipped in pan one. In pan two, add ¼ cup AP flour, ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons paprika, and ½ teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Dry the chicken breasts again, then dip the breast in the egg, coat well and shank off excess.
- Dip the chicken in the breading mixture and pat it on. Shake off the excess. Place on the prepared rack.
- Add a little extra topping to each breast. Give them a light spray of PAM. Let them rest for about 5 minutes before cooking to help the coating stick better.
- Bake until an internal temp of 165°. About 35 minutes usually.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- An easy recipe to scale up or down.
- The quality of the cheese is very important for a great result.
- Use chicken breasts of about the same size. If needed, flatten them a bit to about ¾ inches by using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan. Please cover the chicken to prevent splatter—I like to use a freezer bag.
- Always place the thicker part of the breast towards the outside of the tray when baking chicken breasts.
- Always make sure the chicken is very dry before starting to coat. Nothing will stick to wet chicken.
- The rack helps with the underside crisping. If you don't have one, you can flip the chicken halfway through using a fork. You might want to flip anyway to be sure the bottom is crispy.
- If you let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes after coating, before baking, the coating will stick better.
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
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Editor's Note: Originally Published January 26, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Lauri Nooyen
Looking for a good side dish for this.......Probably green beans but I need something else....Been using your Chicken for 100 recipe for our large club events - Get rave reviews all the time!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Lauri,
Welcome to the blog. Glad that you are finding the chicken for a hundred post useful. I went back and forth about posting it on a "cooking for two" site but developing that recipe lead to most of my most popular chicken recipes.
For side dishes, I have them all in one place now — https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/category/vegetable/ I would suggest the green beans with bacon or the roasted cauliflower. But the asparagus recipes are good. For a starch, the little red potatoes or the recently updated Parmasarn baked potato.
Dan
John R Sack
Our household prefers thighs to breasts. Can thighs be substituted for breasts in this recipe?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi John,
Welcome to the blog.
Skinless thighs (with or without bone) should be fine. Cook to an internal temperature of about 180° instead of 165°. They will be safe at the lower temp but more tender if cooked longer. With bone will take a bit longer.
Dan
KK Taylor
We love this recipe. So easy and always delicious. I usually make a little more breading and cut the chicken into strips. More crunchy goodness to enjoy! Thanks for the recipe!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Welcome to the blog.
I like the chicken strip idea and will try it.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Jill G
I have a question re: paprika type you use : I see your jar labeled “Spanish paprika” - is that smoked or spicy or sweet or ??? The paprika I see most is plain & used mostly for color or garnish. Thanks for your help. P.S. I love your recipes & the dog pictures as well :)
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jill,
Welcome the blog.
I tend to use Spanish Paprika which is sweet and mild. I then adjust for spiciness with other things but it has a touch of heat to it. Tones is the brand I grew up with and tend to buy in large containers at Sams. A huge container costs less than a small bottle at the local market. I sometimes buy at Penney's. McCormicks is about the same.
I'm not a fan of smokey paprika although I have used it and will specifically state it in the recipes ( maybe once or twice total). It seems like a chemical taste to me. I prefer Wright's liquid smoke if I need that flavor.
And as I said, spicy should be adjusted otherways especially for a cooking blog where peoples taste will vary.
Glad you are enjoying the blog and Molly and Lilly say thanks
Dan
rohimic
Let have a look on the recipe of honey paprika chicken tenders, try it and have fun.
Jackie
This is good, crunchy, flavorful and quick. Will make again.
cheong lai kuen
hi, may i enquire that how many grams does each chicken breast weigh...accordingly to your recipe state 4 pcs and how am i to estimate how big is the breast...tqtqtq...
DrDan
The nutrition is calculated on 8 oz which is standard. But those in the pictures are big and more like 12 oz.
1 oz = 30 gm so 240 grams up to 360 grams.
Dan
Jeni
I made this cutting the chicken into 1" X .5" strips. On the rack. Came out with wonderful Parmesan paprika flavor! While it was cooking I seared up some peppers, mushrooms, asparagus and onion. In another pan I mixed 1cup oj with 4 tbsp cornstarch , add to 1/4 honey, 4 tbsp spy, 1tsp minced garlic, salt and pepper. Brought this mix to a boil and let thicken. Mixed it with the veggies and cooked chicken n put it on a bed of rice.....
I think this chicken recipe will now be my go baked chicken recipe for many healthy dishes .... thanks!!
DrDan
Hi Jeni,
I can’t believe it has been three years since this recipe. I haven’t done it for almost a year but I’m looking for dinner for tonight so I think this is it.
Great hints and thanks so much for the note.
Dan
juned
nothing, but good
Kerry
So you have a recommended time and temp for non convection ovens?
Kerry
*do
DrDan
Try 375 in the non-convection oven
Dan
Vickie
I'm trying this recipe for the first time, I will let everyone know what I think! It looks like it's going to be a winner for my home of two!
DrDan
This is good for left overs too so cook one or two extra. Also the crispy oven fried chicken is excellent.
DrDan
Dan Mikesell
Thanks, it is one of my favorites.
Allison Smith
First time that I saw a "method of baking". Seriously, I thought the oil that you put in the baking pan would pop when it's hot already in the oven! Kudos to you, your chicken breast looks like it's drenched in oil and not simply baked.-
Dan Mikesell
Welcome to the blog, I'm glad you like it. Not all the recipes are "healthy" but many are. This is one of my current favorite recipes for chicken breasts. And congrats on the wedding.
Alana
Can you please tell me how you get the chicken to come out golden? I have followed the recipe exactly and my chicken although cooked was white. Not at all the nice golden colour as on your picture. Help!
DrDan
Hi Alana,
The answer is the oven. I have two, these are from the KitchenAid convection obviously. The JennAir convection would not be as brown. Same recipe, same temp and same time. I move back and forth but if I want that nice brown picture for the blog I try to use the KitchenAid but it take longer to preheat. If I'm using an oven that tends to brown less, I put it higher in the oven or I will turn the broiler on for a minute or two at the end... I like brown crunchy also.
DrDan
Caitlin
I am SO glad I came across this site! Soon getting married, we are both health conscious and want to be 'cooking for two'. I love the recipes and this one looks terrific! Dr Dan you are awesome!
Dr Dan
I agree with more fun but I make a heck of a mess getting them out of the bag. I control my mess better with the pan.
Andi
You can even throw all the draw ingredients in a bag and shake the chicken! 1 less dish and a lot more fun :)
Chris
I love using those raised racks when baking, best thing I ever found for baking crispy crusts and not a lot of flipping either.