Baked Chicken Parmesan Dinner

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 05/18/21
Chicken Parmesan with Mozzarella Cheese
Diana Rattray
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 4 servings

This baked chicken Parmesan starts with Parmesan-coated chicken breasts. The breaded, oven-fried chicken is then baked with prepared spaghetti sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Of course, you can use your own homemade spaghetti sauce or marinara.

This is an easy dinner to prepare, and you can keep it relatively low in fat with low-fat mozzarella or the lower amounts of cheese. If you're short on time, use seasoned fine dry bread crumbs and a little Parmesan for the coating. One standard serving of chicken is about 4 ounces, so two or three large chicken breast halves (8-ounce or larger) would be enough for four people.

The quality of the cheese makes a difference. Freshly shredded Parmesan will have much more flavor than pre-shredded Parmesan. It's worth buying a wedge of good Parmesan and grating it immediately before use.

For a full and satisfying dinner, serve the chicken and spaghetti with a tossed salad and garlic bread.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley

  • 1 dash pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 chicken breasts , split in half

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce

  • 1/2 to 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

  • 1 pound thin spaghetti

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C/Gas 6.

  3. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray. 

  4. In a food processor, grind the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, basil, parsley, a dash of pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until fine. Pour this mixture onto a plate or shallow bowl.

  5. Pound the chicken breasts halves lightly to flatten them to a uniform thickness. (You can avoid some kitchen mess and contaminating your surfaces if you place the breasts between sheets of plastic wrap before gently pounding them with a mallet or rolling pin.) If you are using thin cutlets, there should be no need to pound them.

  6. Whisk the egg with the milk in a shallow bowl.

  7. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture then coat them with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange the chicken pieces on the baking sheet.

  8. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake for 10 minutes longer. To ensure the chicken is done, check with an instant-read thermometer. According to the USDA, the minimum safe temperature for chicken is 165 F. Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 F/180 C/Gas 4.

  9. In an 11-by-7-inch baking dish, spread about one-third of the spaghetti sauce. Arrange the cooked chicken in the sauce; pour remaining sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.

  10. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

  11. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water following the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly.

  12. Serve the chicken and sauce with the hot drained spaghetti. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

If you prefer to fry the chicken on the stovetop first, make a recipe for simple fried chicken breast cutlets, then bake them with the spaghetti sauce and cheese.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
606 Calories
16g Fat
73g Carbs
41g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 606
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 123mg 41%
Sodium 1558mg 68%
Total Carbohydrate 73g 26%
Dietary Fiber 7g 25%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 4mg 21%
Calcium 361mg 28%
Iron 5mg 29%
Potassium 966mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)