Easy Homemade Baked Chicken Parmesan
This Easy Homemade Baked Chicken Parmesan is made of crispy chicken, melted mozzarella cheese, spaghetti noodles and marinara.
Matt was able to take some vacation time this past week. While we would typically have a ton of things planned throughout the week, covid made us slow down a little bit. It was so nice to have him home with us. As I’m sure most parents would agree, having an extra set of hands these days is extremely helpful!
Everyone is handling a lot right now, but you working parents, my hat goes off to you. It is hard. Having kids home 24/7, being the teacher, the parent, the daycare provider AND trying to juggle your duties of your job at the same time? Talk about overwhelming!
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With Matt’s time off, he was able to play with Will and keep him occupied while I helped Jack with school – it was a wonderful change of pace (for all of us)! For part of the week, we packed up the car and the kids (and the hamster!) and headed up north to the family cabin.
While distance learning has its drawbacks, being able to just pack up and leave is definitely one of the perks! It was so nice to get away for a little bit and have a change of scenery. Both us and the boys needed the change more than we realized.
Although there wasn’t really any snow (and it was very cold), we still got outside, made indoor and outdoor fires, watched movies and played a bunch of games (checkers has become a new favorite)! With the weather getting colder and the days shorter, I have been craving all the comfort food.
If you like this recipe, you will love these Baked Chicken Tenders!
My idea of comfort food might not be the exact same as your idea. I love the flavors of comfort food but I try to make it a bit healthier. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good french fry as much as the next person, but I tend to feel sick afterwards (if you know me personally, you are probably nodding in agreement as you’ve heard me say “My stomach hurts” about a million times). So, I try to capture those same flavors but in a healthier way – my stomach thanks me!
This Baked Chicken Parmesan does exactly that. You have the crispy chicken, but it’s baked. You have the cheesiness but it’s just a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese and not a big old slice of cheese. Oh, and you can’t forget about the noodles and the marinara!
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What Sauce Should I Use?
Use your favorite type of marinara! You can just use a jar of marinara, or you can whip up one of your own. I like to make my own – it is a lot easier than you would think! When the chicken is baking, I make the marinara. Here is what I use:
Quick and Easy Homemade Marinara
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 – 14.5 oz cans fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Sauté the garlic in the olive oil and then add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5-10 minutes letting all the flavors meld together. So, moral of the story – pick what type of marinara you prefer – jarred or homemade!
How does the chicken get crispy?
There are a couple of things that come into play here to make the chicken crispy. First, it is coated in egg and then the bread crumbs/cheese combination. The egg helps the bread crumbs stick to the chicken and the bread crumbs themselves are the part that gets crispy. If you are looking to get extra crispy chicken strips, you can double coat the chicken. So, egg wash and then breadcrumbs and then repeat – another egg wash and then breadcrumbs.
Another thing that really helps to crisp up the chicken is the cooling rack that is on top of the baking sheet. This allows the air flow to flow underneath the chicken, without it getting soggy.
And last, but definitely not least, the olive oil is a key component in getting crispy chicken. You want enough to coat the chicken but not too much that it gets soggy.
If this recipe looks familiar, it’s because you’ve made my Baked Chicken Tenders! The chicken is made the same way in both of these recipes. So, if you have leftover Baked Chicken Tenders, you can whip up Chicken Parmesan for your next dinner!
Tips for Involving Kids
- Let your kids help you measure out all the ingredients. Letting your kids help you measure out ingredients is a perfect opportunity to practice hand-eye coordination, self control, following directions, the list goes on.
- Set them up in front of the oven to “watch” the chicken bake. I flip the light on in the oven and they sit there and just stare – it cracks me up!
- There is always going to be a mess when you cook with your kids but, like my little guy Will says, “It’s okay Mom, chefs make messes and then they clean it up.” Have fun cooking with your kids!!
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded thinly and evenly
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- olive oil to spray on chicken
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 24 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
- 16 oz spaghetti noodles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.
- In a shallow bowl, mix the plain and panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.1½ cups panko bread crumbs, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Crack the eggs into a different shallow bowl and beat them.4 eggs
- Dip each chicken strip into the eggs first and then into the bread crumb mixture.2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the cooling rack on top.
- Put the chicken tenders on top of the cooling rack and spray them with olive oil.olive oil
- Bake the chicken for 10-12 minutes and then flip the tenders.
- Spray the other side with olive oil and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, cook the noodles according to the package directions and heat the spaghetti sauce.24 ounce jar spaghetti sauce, 16 oz spaghetti noodles
- When you are ready to serve, divide the cheese between the chicken and put it back in the oven to melt.8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
