This recipe is a super-easy way to make Chicken Parmesan. Using a jarred sauce (or your own homemade in the freezer sauce), thinly pounded chicken breast, and sliced mozzarella cheese, under the broiler and boom, you're done.
The making of Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan
Here is a quick and easy preparation for dinner tonight or any weekday meal when you want to get dinner on the table in a hurry.
If you've been paying attention…have you been paying attention?…then you will have some homemade marinara sauce already in your freezer. If you haven’t…well then…go ahead and use your favorite store-bought sauce…
Trying to keep things simple and hopefully mostly one pot like I did for my Easy One Pan Skillet Lasagna a (perfect weeknight family meal) I used mayonnaise to coat my chicken breasts.
You might think it's strange to use mayonnaise on your chicken to hold the coating, but really, what is mayonnaise but eggs, oil, and perhaps a bit of vinegar?
It makes a perfect coating, adds a bit of flavor and you don't have to dirty up dishes for whipping up the eggs and milk. Using low-fat mayonnaise also reduces calories. I love it on both chicken and fish for coatings.
If you don't want to use mayonnaise, you could dredge the breast in a mixture of milk and egg, and then dredge them in the breading. If you use this method, I recommend you bread both sides of the breast.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and fry the breasts until browned and cooked through.
Don't mess with them or the breading will fall off, so just put them into the hot oil, breaded side down (unless both sides are breaded, then put them in the pan as you wish); once the breaded side is browned, turn them over and cook the other side about 3 minutes or until the breast is cooked through.
Now, the really super easy part. Toss your pasta with 2 cups of the marinara, then split it between oven-proof dishes. Top this with your cooked chicken breasts, a ladle of marinara, and the mozzarella.
Your mozzarella can be semi-skim shreds, or as I prefer, fresh sliced mozzarella. Put the dish in the oven under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melty. About 2 -3 minutes...keep an eye so it doesn't burn.
Carefully remove the plates from the oven, they will be HOT! Garnish with fresh chopped basil or parsley and serve.
Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan
Wine Pairing: Italian style wines. Terroir to terroir. Food to food. A Chianti, Sangiovese, or Tempranillo are all great wine choices for this dish.
Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 about 4 ounces each boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese and can we agree not to use the stuff in the green can?
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or mix some oregano, basil, and thyme together
- Freshly ground pepper
- ⅛ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or as needed
- 8 ounces spaghetti cooked according to package directions, ½ cup pasta water reserved
- 3 cups marinara sauce either homemade Basic Marinara Sauce or your favorite prepared sauce, heated
- 1 cup 4 – ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, or the equal amount of sliced fresh mozzarella
- Chopped fresh parsley or basil or both optional
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts into a large zip-top bag; using a meat mallet (not the pointy tenderizer side, but the flat side) or rolling pin, pound to ¼ inch thickness. Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, and pepper in a shallow dish.
- Split the mayonnaise between each breast and spread it evenly across the top with a spatula or knife. Dredge each breast, mayo side only, in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the breast, breaded side down; cook until brown, about 3 - 4 minutes; turn and cook the other side until done, about 3 minutes more.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Toss the pasta with 2 cups of the marinara sauce adding a little of the pasta water if it seems dry. Place 1 cup of the cooked spaghetti in each of 4 oven-proof bowls or gratin dishes; top with a chicken breast then ¼ cup of sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Broil for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Garnish with the herbs, if desired.
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