Baked Chicken Parmesan

A restaurant classic made healthier while still being just as crispy and juicy as the original! This Healthy Chicken Parmesan recipe features a crisp golden-brown crust, juicy moist chicken, and of course, delicious melty cheese.

Most chicken parmesan served in restaurants are comprised of a thin chicken breast coated in a thick greasy layer of deep-fried breading. The result is an ultra-heavy dish lacking in flavor.

This healthier chicken parmesan features everything you love about the classic without all the heavy greasiness.  

What you’ll need:

Chicken: boneless, skinless chicken breasts are perfect for chicken Parmesan. They’re lean, high in protein, and tender. Be sure to use fairly large chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each), you’ll be halving them horizontally into thinner breast halves.

Breadcrumbs: in this case we’re using Panko (I like whole-wheat Panko). No regular breadcrumbs or flour—just the good stuff! Panko is light and super crispy, which is perfect for baked breaded chicken. 

Cheeses: this is chicken Parmesan, so of course there is Parmesan cheese! Parmesan is used in the coating mixture while shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese is sprinkled over the crispy golden-brown chicken and baked until melty. 

Tomato sauce: my Red Wine Pasta Sauce is fabulous with this chicken Parmesan, but you can also use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce. I love Rao’s marinara sauce and Lidia’s marinara sauce. 

Herbs: basil and parsley are both great. I like to use a combination, but you can certainly use one or the other. 

Pasta (optional): spaghetti is classic with chicken Parmesan, and here I serve it with whole-wheat spaghetti. Feel free to substitute with zucchini noodles for an even lighter, low-carb dish. 

How to make this healthy chicken parmesan recipe

1. Preheat the oven and a baking sheet.
2. Make the breading—combine Panko, Parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Beat the egg.
4. Prep the chicken—cut the chicken breasts into two equal, thinner halves and pound out into an even ¼-inch thickness.
5. Bread the chicken—dip the chicken pieces in egg, followed by the Panko mixture to coat. 
6. Bake—coat the hot baking sheet with nonstick spray, place breaded chicken pieces on baking sheet and bake until golden brown. 
7. Top with cheese—flip the chicken pieces and top with mozzarella; bake until nearly cooked through. 
8. Boil—turn the oven, move sheet to top rack and broil chicken until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. 
9. Serve—serve chicken parmesan over pasta or zoodles with tomato sauce and herbs. 

Tips for making the best baked chicken parmesan

Don't sauce the chicken—most chicken Parmesan recipes call for spooning sauce over the breaded chicken before adding the cheese. This defeats the whole purpose of creating a crisp golden crust! Instead, top the breaded chicken with cheese and bake until melted and bubbly. Serve the crispy, cheesy chicken with the marinara sauce.

Preheat the baking sheet—since we aren't frying the chicken, it can be challenging to get a nice crispy crust. A hot baking sheet helps with this. The moment the breaded chicken hits the sheet, it start to toast and get crispy.

Broil the chicken—bake the chicken just until it's about cooked through (160ºF), then turn the oven to boil and transfer the sheet to the top rack to finish cooking. Broiling the chicken to finish makes it more crispy and browns the cheese, which adds flavor.

Use high-quality ingredients—this is a pillar of good cooking, especially when it comes to recipes with few ingredients. The better your ingredients, the better the end result will be.

Variations:

• Use slices of fresh mozzarella instead of part-skim
• Add Italian seasoning to the Panko mixture
• Serve over zoodles (spiralized zucchini) instead of spaghetti
• Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free Panko and gluten-free spaghetti or zoodles. Use certified gluten-free spaghetti sauce.

Make it a meal, serve healthy chicken Parmesan with…

• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Healthy Broccoli Salad
• Simple Fennel Salad
• Salad with Oranges and Candied Pistachios 
• Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli

How to store chicken parmesan:

Healthy Chicken Parmesan is best enjoyed immediately after cooking. If you have leftovers, store them in  an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with some olive oil over medium-heat. Or slice and serve cold over a salad. 

If you give this Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!

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