Chicken parmesan is an Italian classic that everyone loves. The breaded, fried chicken is delicious and is perfectly complemented by the marinara sauce. When served with pasta on the side and maybe a salad, you have a perfect Italian meal.
The thing that might be surprising to you is that it’s such an easy meal to make. It looks like it would be complicated and difficult, but it actually is not. And you’ll be glad that it’s so easy, because your family is guaranteed to love it. When you find a dish that your family will eat, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Garlic Parmesan Chicken
The name of chicken parmesan is believed to have originated from chicken parmigiana. Essentially, the recipes are the same: chicken breasts dipped in egg and flour, then fried and topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
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Chicken parmesan is easy to make, but you can also give it even more zest. If your family likes garlic, try adding a couple of cloves of minced garlic to your mixture. You can add just one clove if your family only likes a little bit of garlic, or you can add as many as four cloves if your family really likes garlic.
Not only will your kids love chicken parm (as it’s often called), but you can even include them in the kitchen when you make it. If your kids are making it with you, make sure they wash their hands first! You don’t even want to think about what might be on their hands.
If you want your kids to help, you can try adapting the recipe to baked chicken parmesan. You still dip the chicken in the egg and in the mixture of bread crumbs and spices. Then bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. It’s true that it takes longer this way than frying the chicken, but it’s also healthier. It's also safer than having kids around hot oil.
Keto Chicken Parmesan
The keto diet is all the rage lately and for good reason; a lot of people are losing tons of weight on it and feeling better than ever. Usually, you have to give up all your favorite foods when you go on a diet. But one of the reasons that people are having so much success with the keto diet is because you can so easily adapt the foods you love to make them keto-friendly.
Chicken parmesan seems like it wouldn’t be keto-friendly. After all, Italian food in general is usually very heavy in carbs. But actually, keto chicken parmesan is easier to make than you might imagine.
If you want to make chicken parmesan work on a keto diet, you actually have a couple of different options. The main thing that you need to replace is the bread crumbs. To make it keto, try substituting an equal amount of parmesan cheese or crushed pork rinds. Then, you’ll still bake it or fry it as usual.
You can use regular marinara sauce to top the “breaded” chicken. You’ll want to make the marinara sauce from scratch as this recipe calls for. Many jarred sauces contain sugar, which is an obvious no-no when you’re on keto.
Worried that your keto chicken parmesan won’t be the same without pasta? You can make it with spiralized zucchini noodles, or “zoodles”. You’ll still have the same twirling action of regular noodles without the carbs. The taste of the zucchini is so mild you’ll find the substitution pretty delicious.
Whether you make regular fried chicken parm, bake it in the oven, or make keto-friendly chicken parmesan, you’ll have a dinner everyone will love.
Health Benefits of Chicken
Regardless of the way you choose to make your chicken parm, it can still offer some health benefits. As we noted earlier, a keto or baked chicken parm is going to be healthier than regular, fried chicken parm. If you want to get the maximum benefit from the health benefits we're about to mention, stick to baked or keto chicken parm.
One thing that doesn't really change with cooking method is the amount of protein in chicken. Chicken is notably high in protein, making it popular with those trying to lose weight or build muscle. If you have kids in sports, or you yourself are active, chicken is a great choice.
Depending on your cooking method, chicken can be quite low in fat. It's the low fat, high protein combo that really makes it shine as a healthy food. The high amount of protein also means that you'll feel fuller for longer, making you less likely to snack throughout the night.
Finally, chicken has a number of important nutrients in it. Niacin, selenium, vitamin B6, and phosphorous are all present in chicken in notable or high quantities. Several other important nutrients are also present, albeit in smaller quantities. Chicken is a great way to ensure your family is staying on a well-balanced, nutritious diet.
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to check out our Sweet Potato Puff Recipe and our PTA Bake Sale Coconut Cake Recipe.
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Chicken Parmesan Recipe
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 40 minutes
Description
Chicken Parmesan is an Italian classic that everyone loves. The breaded, fried chicken is delicious and is perfectly complemented by the marinara sauce. When served with pasta on the side and maybe a salad, you have a perfect Italian meal.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Trim the fat from the chicken breasts and remove the white tendons running through the tenderloins.
- Place each breast between two sheets of wax paper and gently pound with a meat mallet until less than ¼ inch thick.
- Dust the chicken with the flour until well coated on all sides.
- Stir together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl, use a fork to beat the egg with the water.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking.
- Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then roll in the seasoned bread crumbs until well coated, patting to make the crumbs adhere to the chicken.
- Use tongs to place the chicken into the pan. Continue adding more chicken pieces until the pan is full but not crowded.
- Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the cooked pieces and drain well on paper towels. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spread ½ cup of sauce in the baking dish. Arrange the chicken pieces in the dish, overlapping as needed. Spoon the remaining 1 ½ cups sauce on top.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is hot.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/Paul DeNio.