Tender, Easy Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parm is one of those things that I usually don’t order in Italian-American restaurants because it’s simply hard get a good one. I had too many where the chicken was pounded to death paper thin, overcoated with crumbs and covered in way too much pasty sauce to overcompensate for a dry, thin piece of chicken breast . Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I like thick, tender chicken breasts accompanied by some not too sweet tomato sauce and coating of good cheese. My version of Chicken Parm is tender and juicy. It can also be made without having to bake it in an oven; making this an easy, quick meal to prepare for your family.

Prep the Chicken

Scoring Chicken Breasts

So for Chicken Parm, I cut the chicken breasts in to cutlets. I used two organic chicken breasts and made four cutlets. What I don’t do is to pound them. I just don’t think It’s necessary flatten out a Chicken. You’re not working with a tough piece of meat. What I do instead is to score or cut slits on the chicken so it will cook evenly, and you will get that nice tender, juicy chicken.

Use Panko & Regular Bread Crumbs

Using some Japanese bread crumbs and regular bread crumbs can create the perfect crispy and moist texture for your chicken. Using only regular bread crumbs in my opinion make a rather dense chicken cutlet, whereas just using panko can create overly fluffy, crispy cutlets. There is always such thing as a happy medium to things.

Marinara Sauce & Cheese

For marinara sauce, I didn’t have time to make one from scratch so I used instead Tomato Basil Marinara sauce from Trader Joe’s. This sauce is not overly sweet and it’s a good basic Marinara sauce.

For the cheese, I also used another Trader Joe’s find which has been a popular item in my household for some time. It’s Quattro Formaggi and it’s a blend of shredded Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and mild Provolone cheese. The blend of four cheese is an absolute goodness and provides perfect balance of flavors.

No Need for an Oven

Once you brown your chicken in the skillet for few minutes, there’s no need to stick them in the oven. When once side has turned golden, turned it over sprinkle your cheese and place the cover. You’ll get nice golden, tender cutlets in just few minutes that’s ready to lay in the thick, juicy marinara sauce.

Print Recipe

Tender, Easy Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced in half
• salt to taste
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ cup regular bread crumbs
• ½ cup panko
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 jar marinara Sauce
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 4-5 fresh basil chiffonade for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Chicken Parmesan

• Take Chicken breasts and make slits with small knife. Season with salt.
• Cover Chicken with flour. Make egg wash by adding 2 tbsp of water. Soak Chicken breasts in the egg wash, then cover with breadcrumbs.
• In the meantime, heat marinara sauce in medium pot over low heat.
• Heat large skillet with olive oil with medium high heat. Place chicken breasts in skillet and cook one side for about 4 minutes. Place cover and do not disturb. When the side turns light brown., turn them over and add cheese on top. Place cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until chicken breasts turns golden brown and cheese is melted.
• When chicken breasts are done cooking, spread marinara sauce on plate and place chicken breast on top. To serve, garnish with chiffonade basil.