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    Home » Main Dishes » Poultry » Chicken

    Chicken Parmesan: Our First Date Dinner

    Published: Feb 15, 2010 · Modified: Jul 19, 2022 by Jessica Fisher

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    Chicken Parmesan is the ultimate date night dinner. In fact, it was what I served my husband on our very first date. Give this Chicken Parmesan recipe a try: succulent, breaded chicken served aside pasta and a simple red sauce. 

    A plate of pasta with chicken parmesan this …

    Many, many moons ago… in fact, about 26 years ago, I made dinner for the man who later became my husband and the father of my children. Chicken Parmesan was the first meal I ever cooked for Bryan. The chicken turned out okay, but you should have seen the look on his face when I broke the spaghetti in two!

    That’s how we always did it in my family. Doesn’t everybody? Uh, no.

    True pasta connoisseurs do not break the spaghetti noodles in half. But, thankfully, he didn’t hold it against me. He married me anyway. And the rest, as they say, is history.

    For the last few years I’ve recreated that first date dinner for Valentine’s Day. We enjoy the meal with our kids and take a walk down Memory Lane.

    Over the years, I healthified  just a tad. Instead of coating the chicken in eggs and white bread crumbs, I now use buttermilk, whole wheat bread crumbs, and non-stick cooking spray. Instead of frying it in oil, I bake the chicken. These adaptations result in an easier, more hands-free meal that is a little bit healthier for us.

    chicken parmesan on tray ready to bake

    How to make this good and cheap:

    Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

    • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Instead of paying full price, buy more than you need when you see it on sale. Then you always have it when you want it. I do this with chicken and spices.
    • Culture your own buttermilk. It’s so much cheaper once you get it going. I start a fresh batch with this culture, but then make repeated batches with a little of the last batch.
    • Shop the stores that have the best prices. When I did my big grocery store showdown, I learned that ALDI and Costco have the best prices for a lot of the things I buy. I regularly stock up on chicken at ALDI now.
    • Make your own bread crumbs. My youngest child doesn’t like to eat the crusts on her bread. It’s a hill I’ve chosen not to die on. She cuts off the crusts and adds them to a bag in the freezer. I do the same when I make tea sandwiches. Whenever I need bread crumbs, I whiz them up in the food processor.

    How I make this recipe easy:

    This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.

    Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:

    • plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
    • Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
    • food processor or Vitamix — to make the breadcrumbs.
    • sheet pans — Buying commercial pans was a game changer.
    • parchment paper — because I don’t like dish washing.
    A plate of penne and chicken
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    4.67 from 3 votes

    Chicken Parmesan

    Give this Chicken Parmesan recipe a try: succulent, breaded chicken served aside pasta and a simple red sauce. It’s the ultimate date night dinner!
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time25 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 321kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
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    Ingredients

    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast , trimmed
    • 1 ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • olive oil spray
    • 2 cup marinara sauce heated
    • 2 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded) (½ cup)
    • 1 oz Parmesan cheese (shredded) (¼ cup)
    • 1 lb penne pasta cooked

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
    • In a shallow dish, combine the buttermilk, garlic powder, and black pepper. Place the chicken in the buttermilk, turning to coat. Allow to the chicken to marinate while you prepare the breading.
    • In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, salt, basil, and oregano.
    • Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk marinade and dip in the bread crumb mixture, turning to coat all over. Place each breaded chicken piece on the prepared baking sheet and spray with olive oil spray.
    • Bake the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through.
    • Serve the chicken with the pasta, topping with marinara sauce and sprinkling on cheese to taste.

    Notes

    Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
    Nutritional values are approximate and do not account for pasta.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1343mg | Potassium: 905mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 663IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tell us what you think!Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.

     

    Chicken Parmesan Recipe | Good Cheap Eats

    Originally published February 15, 2010. Updated February 5, 2018.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Keira B Singleton

      April 27, 2020 at 7:58 pm

      Making it tonight if the chicken is a little bit bigger how much longer should I cook in oven?thanks

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 28, 2020 at 10:46 am

        Gonna depend on if it’s boneless or not. I’d check every five minutes or so and use an instant read thermometer if you have one to check the temp.

        Reply
    2. Tasty

      February 05, 2018 at 2:46 pm

      Hadn’t intended making chicken parm tonight but, guess what, that’s what we’re going to have tonight. It just sounded good!!
      Thanks Jessica.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 20, 2018 at 8:14 pm

        Hope you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    3. ray

      February 15, 2013 at 11:37 am

      I made this for our Family Valentine’s Dinner last night and the family just couldn’t get enough of it. I like the fact that the chicken is baked and not fried. I did add some parmesaen cheese to bread crumb mixture. The house smelled so good while chicken was in the oven. I served it with noodles and Caesar salad and Malasada’s for dessert.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        February 15, 2013 at 12:00 pm

        @ray, yeah! How fun to hear.

        Reply
    4. AllieZirkle

      February 14, 2012 at 8:17 am

      We ended up trying out this recipe last night. I baked it on a cooling rack nestled on a cookie sheet. It worked out great! But we decided to saute the cooked breasts in olive oil and butter and bake in some sauce (topped with mozzarella!). It was super easy and super tasty! And yes, it was served with crockpot red sauce and spaghetti with a side salad. YUM!

      Reply
    5. Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents

      January 03, 2012 at 9:20 am

      I HAVE to try this soon! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jessica

        January 03, 2012 at 5:32 pm

        It’s really yummy.

        Reply
    6. Courtney

      April 11, 2011 at 9:07 am

      This is so funny, I think that Chicken Parmesan was one of the first dinners I made my husband when we were dating also. We love it and have it regularly. While I still saute my chicken in EVOO, I do use Dijon mustard sometimes instead of eggs or buttermilk. But I think I’ll give this one a try also. Thanks. As always, a huge fan of your site!

      Reply
    7. Amanda

      February 13, 2011 at 1:33 pm

      This sounds so yummy! I will definitely have to try it asap! I am like you, I always have broken the pasta. My mom always did so I did too. LOL
      God bless,
      Amanda

      Reply
    8. Dana

      December 05, 2010 at 6:59 pm

      I love that the changes you made actually made it cheaper too!

      Reply
    9. Chris

      December 05, 2010 at 6:06 pm

      Can I prepare the chicken breasts up to the point where you dip them in the breadcrumbs and then freeze them until a later date to bake?

      Reply
      • Jessica

        December 05, 2010 at 7:39 pm

        I haven’t done it yet, but I’m going to guess that you can. But don’t quote me on that. I’ll add it to my list of things to test. 🙂

        Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 05, 2018 at 11:23 am

        Updating my reply: you can do so, though you may lose some crispiness in the breadcrumb texture.

        Reply

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