Name: Easy Chicken Parmesan
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness and cut in half; 3 Tablespoons avocado oil; salt and pepper, to taste; 8 cups homemade marinara (or store-bought pasta sauce, use your family’s favorite); 2 (1 lb) boxes of spaghetti or fettuccine noodles (or my homemade pasta); 1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, grated; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; optional: fresh parsley or basil for garnish, rough chopped

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Oh, my goodness, you guys! This is SO good! Easy Chicken Parmesan is your new go-to chicken dinner recipe when you need a delicious but simple family dinner idea or a meal for guests

Chicken Parmesan on a bed of noodles on a white plate. Cast iron skillet of chicken parmesan in the background.

Chicken Parmesan is tender, delectable and flavorful served over pasta with your favorite marinara recipe. It’s a fabulously delicious meal that your family will love. And, it’s quick enough to be on the table in around 30 minutes! This dish will get the whole family to the table for a scrumptious meal!

In This Post:

Weeknight vs Weekend Prep Choices

If I’m making Chicken Parmesan over the weekend, you bet I will make homemade pasta and my super easy, 30-minute marinara sauce from scratch (if I don’t already have some in the fridge or freezer.). But, I realize that will add time to the prep that I don’t have on busy weeknights.

My favorite weeknight hack for this yummy dish is to use pre-packaged pasta, (dried or fresh), and jars of our favorite homemade marinara sauce or store-bought pasta sauce. The whole meal will come together quickly and then I can enjoy delicious food and fun with my family!

The second critical time-saver is to pound out the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness, before cooking them.

Chicken Parmesan on a white plate with a blue print napkin in the background.

Prepping the Chicken & Boiling Pasta

Put a pot of heavily salted water on to boil for your pasta. Pasta water should taste as salty as broth or stock, so the noodles have great flavor after they are done cooking. Literally, sip a few drops of the water from a spoon before cooking the pasta. If it doesn’t taste salty, add more salt.

chicken breast in zip-top bag ready to be pounded to even thickness

While the water is coming to a boil, pound the chicken breasts so they will cook quickly and evenly. This simple step shaves half the usual cooking time! The chicken should be a uniform 1/2-inch thickness when you have finished.

I pound them inside a gallon zip-top bag and make sure that thick end is flattened to match the thinner end in thickness. Once it has been flattened, you will likely be able to cut the chicken breast in half, making two portions, rather than one. That means you will be able to use HALF the normal amount of chicken, making Chicken Parmesan an inexpensive meal, as well! (Look at the difference in the picture below. The flattened chicken breast is much larger than the way it started. It’s also way more than most people will eat as a single serving.)

Cooking the Chicken

Add the oil to a *cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken right in the skillet. Sear each chicken breast portion for 4-6 minutes on that first side. Check to make sure they are becoming golden brown. When they have, flip them to the other side.

Salt and pepper the second side of the chicken. Allow it to caramelize and become golden just like you did the first side. When it is browned, remove all the chicken to a plate to rest.

browned chicken after searing in cast iron skillet

Assembling the Chicken Parmesan

Once the chicken is resting on a plate, add your pasta (or even better, my homemade pasta) to the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium-high.
Pour the pasta sauce you’ve chosen into the skillet you just cooked the chicken in. I use a store brand when I buy commercial sauce.
Get that sauce bubbling in the *skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts back to the pan.
Spoon a little sauce over each piece of chicken and then top with grated Mozzarella cheese and a little Parmesan.
Put the lid back on the skillet just long enough to get the cheese melty and gooey and dripping down the sides of the chicken.
Check the pasta and test its tenderness. It should be al dente. If it’s ready, go ahead and drain it. If not give it a couple more minutes cooking time and then drain it.

How & When to Serve Chicken Parmesan

You can use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken. It is ready to serve when the temperature registers 160° in the center. By the time the cheese has completely melted, my guess is you’ll be at the perfect temperature.
To serve the Chicken Parmesan, put a bed of tender pasta on the plate. Spoon a little sauce over it and then top it with one of the chicken portions.
Garnish with a little chopped parsley or basil and you literally have completed a restaurant quality dish in about 30 minutes. You’re a rock star!

The Recipe

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