Parmesan-Crusted Chicken

This parmesan-crusted chicken recipe uses classic cooking techniques to make juicy browned chicken breasts. The chicken is first dipped into a garlicky butter sauce, then it’s dredged in a Parmesan-bread crumb mixture. It’s delicately baked until just done, and then all this baked Parmesan-crusted chicken needs is a side of vegetables and some hungry people around the table to enjoy it.

As a trained chef, learning to dredge was one of those pivotal moments when a cooking technique really stuck with me. It was a simple tool I’d be able to use for the rest of my life, and I could easily apply it to countless recipes.

Dredging is a food preparation method in which you coat your ingredient (often meat, but not always) with a dry mixture before cooking it. You’ll usually dip the main ingredient in a wet mixture before the dry mixture. Then, during cooking, that dry coating turns into a seasoned, browned, crispy outer shell that helps trap juices and moisture inside.

You’ll employ dredging in breaded chicken recipes, in dishes like fried chicken and southern fried pork chops, or for more delicate foods like fried catfish and crispy baked tofu. Once you get the process down in this recipe, you’ll start finding all sorts of foods to dredge!

Ingredients for Parmesan-Crusted Chicken

• Butter: Since we’re also adding salt to this breaded chicken recipe, you don’t need to use salted butter here. Of course, use whichever is your preference.
• Dijon mustard: I was pretty surprised to learn you can make your own Dijon mustard, and it’s actually quite easy. You can even make yours as tangy or as sweet as you prefer.
• Worcestershire sauce: The fermented components of Worcestershire sauce give it a wonderfully tangy taste. Just a teaspoon is enough to add a little something extra to the wet mixture that the chicken will be dipped in before dredging.
• Salt: This chicken crusted-Parmesan bake is all about savory, nutty flavors, and salt helps bring those out. It also helps keep the chicken juicy.
• Dry bread crumbs: You can make homemade bread crumbs with tips from our guide. That way, you won’t have to buy a whole tin of them.
• Parmesan cheese: A bit more salty compared to the nuttiness of Parmigiano Reggiano, Parmesan is also more affordable. Buy a wedge and grate it yourself for the freshest flavor.
• Boneless skinless chicken breast halves: Buy uniform chicken breast pieces—about 7 ounces each—so they cook evenly. Boneless, skinless chicken is more prone to drying out, so be careful not to overcook your chicken.

Directions

Step 1: Create the dredging mixtures

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a shallow bowl, stir together the butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt. In a separate shallow bowl, toss together the bread crumbs and cheese.

Editor’s Tip: You can use baking pans instead of shallow bowls to make these mixtures. This especially comes in handy for the bread crumb mixture, as a larger pan will give you more room to use and will help catch fallen crumbs.

Step 2: Dredge and coat the chicken

Dip the chicken in the butter mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture, patting to help the coating adhere.

Editor’s Tip: Let any excess butter mixture drip off the chicken before dipping the chicken into the bread crumb mixture.

Step 3: Bake the chicken

Arrange the chicken evenly in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Drizzle the chicken with any remaining butter mixture. Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of chicken reads 165°, 25 to 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Chicken breast will dry out quite quickly, so check the temperature of your chicken just a moment before the 25-minute mark. Use an instant-read meat thermometer for the most accurate results.

Recipe Variations

• Make chicken Parmesan: Transform your Parmesan-crusted chicken recipe into classic chicken Parmesan in a few easy steps. Cook this recipe as directed, then place thinly sliced mozzarella cheese atop your cooked chicken breasts. Let them cook a few more minutes until the cheese melts, then top each breast with warm tomato sauce and torn, fresh basil.
• Finish with lemon and herbs: Serve your baked Parmesan-crusted chicken with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of fresh parsley or basil. Or, better yet, make a pan sauce. Add butter, lemon juice and garlic (plus optional finely chopped nuts) to the chicken drippings from the baking sheet. Heat on the stovetop until the butter bubbles and a sauce forms. Make sure to stir constantly. Finish the sauce with a smattering of fresh herbs, and pour over the cooked chicken.
• Air-fry the chicken: Prepare the breaded chicken recipe as described, but cook it in an air fryer instead of the oven. Working in batches if needed, cook your chicken at 400° in an air fryer until the chicken temperature reaches 165°, 5 to 10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken.

How to Store Parmesan-Crusted Chicken

Your leftover chicken crusted-Parmesan bake will keep for a few days in the refrigerator or a few months in the freezer.

How long does Parmesan-crusted chicken last?

Let your breaded chicken recipe cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To freeze your chicken, place it in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to three months.

How do you reheat Parmesan-crusted chicken?

If you froze your chicken, let it thaw in the refrigerator. From the refrigerator, follow any of these ways to reheat chicken for the best results.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tips

Should you pound out the chicken for Parmesan-crusted chicken?

For this Parmesan-crusted chicken recipe, you do not need to pound the chicken first. Chicken is typically pounded into thin cutlets when it’s cooked quickly in a skillet. For this recipe, you could gently pound the chicken just enough to even out the thickness of the breasts, but note that the temp and cook time for this recipe have been tested with unpounded chicken.

What can you serve with Parmesan-crusted chicken?

Menu planning is all about balancing colors, textures and cooking methods on a single plate. It’s quite fun to think about! For this baked Parmesan-crusted chicken recipe, I’d think about adding bright colors like green and orange. For texture, I’d want to add something crispy like a green garden salad and something really soft like mashed sweet potatoes.

Why does the breading keep falling off my chicken?

If the breading keeps falling off your breaded chicken recipes, follow these simple tips from our Test Kitchen: Don’t start the chicken dry. Remember to shake off your chicken. Don’t skimp on the crumbs. Don’t forget the last pat. And be patient.