This easy and quick recipe for Chicken Parmesan is simple to make and uses crispy breaded chicken tenders to save time.
What is chicken parmesan?
Chicken parmesan (also known as chicken parm) is an Italian dish of flattened, crispy breaded chicken breast topped with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
There are variations using eggplant parmesan and veal parmesan.
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe for chicken parmesan is:
Easy to make: using store-bought breaded chicken tenders and jarred tomato sauce saves time on preparation.
Kid-friendly: it's a comforting meal that both kids and adults will enjoy.
Ready in less than 1 hour: making this a great weeknight meal that you can whip up during the week.
Scalable: you can easily batch up the recipe to feed more people.
Ingredients you'll need
- breaded chicken tenders: you can use your favorite store-bought brand of breaded chicken cutlets, or make your own
- marinara sauce/pasta sauce: or passata; you can use homemade sauce or jarred for convenience
- mozzarella cheese: you can use fresh mozzarella or bocconcini, or shredded skim milk mozzarella
- parmesan: grated
- pasta: you can serve the chicken parm with your choice of cooked pasta: spaghetti, linguine, or fettucine
- fresh parsley: or fresh basil; chopped
How to make easy chicken parmesan
Place breaded chicken tenders onto the baking sheet and bake according to the package directions.
Flip the chicken tenders about halfway through the baking time.
In the meantime, add marinara or pasta sauce to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low.
Remove chicken tenders from oven and spoon about 1 tablespoon of warm marinara sauce on top of each chicken tender.
Add grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese over each chicken tender and continue baking for another 12-13 minutes.
Remove the chicken tenders from the oven.
To serve, place cooked pasta on a plate and top with pasta sauce and chicken parm.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.
How to store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can freeze chicken parmesan in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
How to reheat
To reheat, bake the chicken parm in a 350F oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
You can microwave the chicken parmesan, but note that the breading will be soggy and lose its crispness.
What to serve with chicken parmesan
Serve chicken parmesan on top of pasta, such as linguine, spaghetti, or fettucine.
Garlic bread toast or Korean cream cheese garlic bread would be a delicious accompaniment.
What do with leftovers
Make chicken parm sandwiches or chicken parm sliders, by pairing the chicken with toasted baguette, ciabatta bread or submarine bread.
Turn it into a casserole, by layering the chicken in a baking dish and sprinkling with extra cheese.
FAQs
Can I use a gluten-free noodle?
Note that breaded chicken breasts usually do contain gluten in the breadcrumbs.
For a gluten-free noodle, you can use gluten-free pasta, or zucchini noodles.
Can I make my own crispy breaded chicken?
Sure, you can use this turkey katsu sando recipe and substitute with chicken.
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Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Cheater's Chicken Parmesan
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- 4 large breaded chicken tenders
- ¼ C marinara sauce or pasta sauce or passata, plus extra for serving
- 1 oz grated parmesan cheese
- 4 oz grated mozzarella cheese
For serving:
- cooked pasta of your choice
- marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place breaded chicken tenders onto the baking sheet and bake according to the package directions.
- Flip the chicken tenders about halfway through the baking time.
- In the meantime, add marinara or pasta sauce to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low.
- Remove chicken tenders from oven and spoon about 1 tablespoon of warm marinara sauce on top of each chicken tender.
- Add grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese over each chicken tender and continue baking for another 12-13 minutes.
- Remove the chicken tenders from the oven.
- To serve, place cooked pasta on a plate and top with pasta sauce and chicken parm.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Neil
What a great idea to use crispy breaded chicken tenders to make this chicken parmesan Michelle. Love it!
Michelle
Makes weeknight meals a cinch! Thanks, Neil 🙂
2pots2cook
Great week dinner to serve with some greens aside! Thank you!
Michelle
Absolutely - and the best part is both kids and adults love it! No picky eating here, thanks Davorka 🙂
David @ Spiced
Back in college, I used to make this exact meal! It felt fancy, but it took very little time to make. Those photos look mouthwatering!
Michelle
It's definitely a great college meal! Simple, quick and delicious 🙂
Dawn
I love this quick chicken parmesan recipe! Such a great idea to use chicken tenders to save time, meaning I could easily enjoy this recipe on a busy weeknight. Yum!
Michelle
Thanks so much Dawn! Really is a timesaver, perfect for those hectic weeknights.
Raymund | angsarap.net
Using store-bought breaded chicken tenders and jarred marinara sauce saves a lot of time and effort without compromising the flavor. Nice one