• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
101 Cooking For Two
  • 👨‍🍳RECIPES
  • 📋About
  • ❓FAQs/Help
  • 🛒Shop
  • 📮Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • 👨‍🍳RECIPES
  • 📋About
  • ❓FAQs/Help
  • 🛒Shop
  • 📮Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • 👨‍🍳RECIPES
    • 📋About
    • ❓FAQs/Help
    • 🛒Shop
    • 📮Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    🏠Home » Recipes » Chicken Breast Recipes

    Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    Mar 18, 2021 · Modified: Dec 6, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 29 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.31 from 59 votes

    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.

    Baked Parmesan Crusted Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts on a fork

    Jump To:
    • 🐓Chicken Breast
    • ♨️Cooking Method
    • 👨‍🍳The Coating
    • 📖Chicken Breast Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    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

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    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

    How to Bake Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven

    Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast

    Oven Fried Chicken with Gravy

    Oven Fried Chicken - Is it KFC?

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

    Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    raw chicken with Parmesan and spices

    Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional oven. Trim and pat dry 3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts.

    spray tray with rack with PAM

    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.

    grating Parmesan into a pan

    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.

    dipping chicken breast in the egg coating

    Dip the chicken breast in the egg, coat well and shank off excess.

    dipping chicken breast in the final coating

    Dip the chicken in the breading mixture and pat it on. Shake off the excess. Place on the prepared rack

    coated chicken breasts on the rack while adding more coating

    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.

    Parmesan coated chicken on a white plate
    graphic Subscribe to 101 Cooking for Two

    📝Recipe

    Parmesan crusted chicken on a fork

    Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    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.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.31 from 59 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° for a conventional oven.
      raw chicken with Parmesan and spices
    • 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.
      spray tray with rack with PAM
    • 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.
      grating Parmesan into a pan
    • Dry the chicken breasts again, then dip the breast in the egg, coat well and shank off excess.
      dipping chicken breast in the egg coating
    • Dip the chicken in the breading mixture and pat it on. Shake off the excess. Place on the prepared rack.
      dipping chicken breast in the final coating
    • 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.
      coated chicken breasts on the rack while adding more coating
    • Bake until an internal temp of 165°. About 35 minutes usually.
      Parmesan coated chicken on a white plate
    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

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. An easy recipe to scale up or down.
    2. The quality of the cheese is very important for a great result.
    3. 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.
    4. Always place the thicker part of the breast towards the outside of the tray when baking chicken breasts.
    5. Always make sure the chicken is very dry before starting to coat. Nothing will stick to wet chicken.
    6. 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.
    7. 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

    Nutrition Facts
    Parmesan Crusted Chicken
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 225.8 Calories from Fat 59
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6.6g10%
    Saturated Fat 2.8g14%
    Trans Fat 0.1g
    Cholesterol 80.8mg27%
    Sodium 650.6mg27%
    Potassium 476mg14%
    Carbohydrates 10g3%
    Fiber 0.8g3%
    Sugar 0.5g1%
    Protein 30g60%
    Vitamin A 625.4IU13%
    Vitamin C 1.4mg2%
    Calcium 165.6mg17%
    Iron 1.3mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    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 : American

    © 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.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published January 26, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    Molly and Lilly dogs running in snow

    More Chicken Breast Recipes

    • Super Moist Grilled Reversed Seared Chicken Breast with Marinade
    • Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
    • Grilled Chicken Marinade with Lemon, Garlic, and Butter
    • Waldorf Chicken Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Comment (Policy Link in Footer) Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Lauri Nooyen

      March 24, 2021 at 10:30 am

      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!!

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 24, 2021 at 10:39 am

        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

    2. John R Sack

      March 19, 2021 at 11:12 am

      Our household prefers thighs to breasts. Can thighs be substituted for breasts in this recipe?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 19, 2021 at 11:47 am

        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

    3. KK Taylor

      April 04, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        April 04, 2020 at 1:12 pm

        Welcome to the blog.

        I like the chicken strip idea and will try it.

        Thanks for the note and rating.

        Dan

    4. Jill G

      September 15, 2019 at 5:52 pm

      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 :)

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        September 15, 2019 at 6:20 pm

        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

    5. rohimic

      October 16, 2018 at 9:40 am

      Let have a look on the recipe of honey paprika chicken tenders, try it and have fun.

      Reply
    6. Jackie

      December 14, 2017 at 8:53 pm

      This is good, crunchy, flavorful and quick. Will make again.

      Reply
    7. cheong lai kuen

      September 18, 2017 at 11:41 pm

      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...

      Reply
      • DrDan

        September 18, 2017 at 11:48 pm

        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

    8. Jeni

      January 14, 2017 at 8:34 pm

      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!!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 15, 2017 at 7:53 am

        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

    9. juned

      January 22, 2015 at 1:00 am

      nothing, but good

      Reply
    10. Kerry

      September 09, 2014 at 6:55 pm

      So you have a recommended time and temp for non convection ovens?

      Reply
      • Kerry

        September 09, 2014 at 6:55 pm

        *do

      • DrDan

        September 09, 2014 at 7:38 pm

        Try 375 in the non-convection oven
        Dan

    11. Vickie

      February 26, 2014 at 2:26 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        February 26, 2014 at 2:36 pm

        This is good for left overs too so cook one or two extra. Also the crispy oven fried chicken is excellent.
        DrDan

    12. Dan Mikesell

      May 31, 2013 at 7:10 pm

      Thanks, it is one of my favorites.

      Reply
    13. Allison Smith

      May 31, 2013 at 7:01 pm

      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.-

      Reply
    14. Dan Mikesell

      April 11, 2013 at 9:10 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Alana

        March 18, 2016 at 6:41 pm

        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

        March 19, 2016 at 10:13 am

        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

    15. Caitlin

      April 11, 2013 at 8:48 pm

      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!

      Reply
    16. Dr Dan

      February 19, 2013 at 7:33 pm

      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.

      Reply
    17. Andi

      February 19, 2013 at 7:21 pm

      You can even throw all the draw ingredients in a bag and shake the chicken! 1 less dish and a lot more fun :)

      Reply
    18. Chris

      February 10, 2013 at 3:32 pm

      I love using those raised racks when baking, best thing I ever found for baking crispy crusts and not a lot of flipping either.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    DrDan image Hi, I’m DrDan, and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two, the home of great everyday recipes with easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions. About DrDan

    Popular Recipes

    • Baked Chicken Legs - Quick and Easy
    • Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon
    • Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
    • Small Ribeye Roast
    • Pan Seared Oven Roasted Strip Steak
    • Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
    kitchen reference sheet graphic wide blue
    graphic of sites that I work with or have had recipes featured or referenced.
    SITES THAT I WORK WITH OR HAVE HAD RECIPES FEATURED OR REFERENCED.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top ↑

    About

    • About DrDan and the Blog
    • Business Questions
    • Comment Policy

    Content

    • Food FAQ
    • Kitchen Reference Sheets
    • Recipes Featured in the Videos
    • Guide To Cooking for Two
    • Saved Recipes Collections

    dogs by the pond

    Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact

    COPYRIGHT © 2010-2023 101 COOKING FOR TWO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | BASED ON FOODIE PRO THEME