Skillet Chicken Parmesan is a quick and easy stove top, no-bake version of the classic chicken parmesan, for when you want to quickly get dinner ready, without turning on the oven.
This crispy, juicy pan fried chicken parmesan is ready under 30 minutes, holds all the delicious flavors and textures of a classic chicken parmesan, with a quicker preparation method! Guaranteed to be a new favorite dinner to make on busy nights!
If you like Italian recipes, don’t forget to also check these other favorites: Classic Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce, Pork Milanese, Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta and Roasted Tomato Pasta with Basil and Parmesan.
No Bake Chicken Parmesan Cooked on Stove top
There are so many versions of Chicken Parmesan floating around the world wide web, and this skillet chicken parmesan has always been my go-to method to make the chicken parmigiana.
You know the kind that you make over and over again and is perfected over the years. Yep yep yep. This is it.
Made on a skillet, on the stove top, and hear me now… ready in under 30 minutes! You won’t even need to turn on the oven!
Skillet chicken parmesan is a quick skillet recipe that features juicy chicken breast, lightly breaded and crispy, topped with marinara sauce and gooey melted mozzarella cheese. Top it off with chopped fresh basil for an added burst of freshness in every bite.
You can find Chicken Parmesan at pretty much any Italian restaurant in the United States. Sometimes lovingly referred to as Chicken Parm. Other times it has also been known as Chicken Parmigiana.
Some will cook it in the oven, but I love making my Skillet Chicken Parmesan on the stovetop, here’s why:
- Easier, faster, and ready under 30 minutes
- Minimal dishes…just one pan! There’s no need to pan fry the chicken parmesan on the stovetop only to transfer to the oven – just do it all on the stove top!
- Some people bake the breaded chicken in the oven – doing it on the skillet makes it much crispier, and not to mention faster.
Ingredients
All you need to make this easy skillet chicken parmesan:
- chicken breast – boneless, skinless chicken breast is the most commonly used for chicken parmesan. I would encourage butterflying it and or slicing it in half length-wise for more even cooking. Because we are pan frying the chicken, chicken breast that is thin will cook more easily and thoroughly, plus you’ll have a much better breading (flavor) to chicken ratio! 😉 You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- eggs – use to bind the breading and seasonings onto the chicken.
- garlic powder – this is one of the few times I actually encourage using garlic powder and not fresh minced garlic. Minced garlic will not stick to the chicken well.
- breadcrumbs – I typically use plain breadcrumbs but if you use Italian breadcrumbs make sure to check out the salt content. If there’s salt in it, omit salt from the egg mixture.
- parmesan cheese – use fresh parmesan for best flavor!
- mozzarella cheese – shredded, or you can use fresh mozzarella if you prefer!
- marinara sauce – use a good quality marinara sauce to get a great tasting chicken parm! I love Rao’s marinara sauce.
- salt and black pepper
- Fresh basil – for garnish
How to Make Chicken Parmesan on Stove top
Thinly slice chicken breast
For skillet chicken parmesan, you’ll get best results with thinly sliced or butterflied chicken breast because you’ll be pan frying quickly and thinly sliced chicken breast will cook all the through (the texture will also be better if chicken is cooked to the center, then if it’s under-cooked).
To butterfly chicken breast, place chicken breast on a cutting board and firmly hold chicken breast in place. With your other hand, use a sharp knife to slice it horizontally into two even pieces.
If chicken cutlets are still thick, use a meat ponder to pond them thinner.
Breading the chicken
In a mixing bowl, bring together grated parmesan and bread crumbs to make the bread crumb mixture that chicken will be coated in.
In a separate bowl, whisk two eggs then add garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Coat chicken cutlets in egg mixture and then in breadcrumb/parmesan mixture. Make sure to coat well and generously on both sides.
You will need a large skillet to make this stove top chicken parmesan. A non-stick skillet is preferred. If you are using a stainless steel skillet, make sure to grease it heavily to avoid sticking.
When done breading the chicken cutlets, heat skillet with oil. Once oil is heated and bubbly, gently add chicken cutlets to skillet.
Chicken cutlets should not overlap. If skillet is too small to accommodate all the chicken pieces, cook in two batches.
Cook one side until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until it too turns golden brown.
Chicken is ready when internal temperature reaches 165℉. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If you don’t already have one, it’s such a good and inexpensive investment for the kitchen.
When chicken reaches 165℉ (avoid overcooking), turn off heat.
Immediately spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on top of each piece of chicken cutlet. Then top it with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Your skillet should still be hot at this point, so cover it and let the cheese melt. It usually takes ~1 minute or so for the cheese to fully melted.
When it is melted, top with lots of fresh basil and BAM! There you have it.
Skillet Chicken Parmesan, baby!
Like I said earlier, I love making chicken parmesan on the stove top because it really does come together really quickly, and I get my breading crispy – just the way I like it!
Juicy chicken , crispy breading, melty cheese, tangy red sauce, bites of freshness from the basil.
Everything I love and more in each and every bite of this one-skillet chicken parmesan.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. ❤️
Tips and Tricks
A few things to keep in mind when making Skillet Chicken Parmesan on the stove top!
- Make sure chicken is thinly sliced: chicken should be less than 1/2 inch thick if not it will be hard to cook the insides before the outside is cooked/burned. Consider pounding it with a meat tenderizer if needed after butterflying the chicken to make it even thinner.
- Pat dry chicken cutlets: try to remove all the moisture from the chicken before coating them in egg mixture or breadcrumb mixture so that chicken will sear well.
- Quality ingredients: use high quality parmesan, quality mozzarella, and fresh basil will make a big difference to the tastiness of this dish!
- Do no overlap or overcrowd: avoid overcrowding chicken cutlets when pan frying them on the skillet. Cook chicken parmesan on stove top in two batches if needed.
- Don’t overcook: remove from heat as soon as cheese is melted! Overcooking will dry out the breading on the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Even though you can definitely have them as leftovers, there’s nothing quite like fresh off the skillet Chicken Parmesan because it is hard to retain the crispy texture of the chicken when you reheat this dish. So yes you can save leftovers, but it won’t taste the same!
Yes! Skillet / on stovetop is always my preference, but here are the oven instructions: Bake breaded chicken on greased baking dish at 350℉ for 15 minutes, then flip to cook the other side for 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Turn off oven (but it should still be warm), top chicken with marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella, and let it sit in warm oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is fully melted. Garnish with basil.
My favorite way to serve this is over pasta tossed in marinara sauce (see picture of it below). Simple and such a yummy combo! If you want to add a vegetable side, I love serving Garlic Parmesan Asparagus, Roasted Whole Carrots or Roasted Zucchini with this.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Chicken Recipes
More yummy chicken dishes!
- Lemon Balsamic Chicken
- White Wine Tomato Skillet Chicken
- Panko Baked Chicken
- Grilled Cajun Chicken
- Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders
- Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken
- Thai Grilled Chicken
- Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken (by Cooking for my Soul!)
Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breast ~1.5 lbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan grated
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- fresh basil chopped, optional
Instructions
- Pat dry chicken breast then slice chicken breast into halves length wise, producing 4 pieces of thin chicken cutlets. If chicken cutlets are still thick, use a meat ponder to pond it thinner.
- Prepare two bowls. In the first bowl, whisk together eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In the second bowl, mix together breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.
- Dip chicken cutlet into egg mixture, coat generously and evenly, then coat it again in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat this step for all the remaining chicken cutlets.
- Heat vegetable oil in skillet under medium high heat until it is sizzling hot. Place chicken cutlets onto skillet (avoid overlapping – pan fry in two batches if needed). Let one side of the chicken cutlet cook until it is golden brown, flip and cook the other side.
- Once internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165℉, turn off heat.
- Immediately (see Note 2) spread a thin layer of marinara sauce to the top of each piece of chicken cutlets, then top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover skillet until cheese is completely melted. Optional: garnish with chopped fresh basil.
- Serve and enjoy!
Made this with gluten free bread crumbs! It was AMAZING and so, so easy!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Christina! Thanks for sharing the GF modification!
This was so good! It was ready in no time and was so crispy!
I’m so glad to hear that Kelley!
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Easy, fresh and delicious; a great recipe for a busy weeknight, indeed!
Glad to hear that!
This chicken was so delicious! Loved that it was easy to make, too!
Yes!! Love a easy and delicious recipe!! Glad you like this 🙂
Amazing! The only thing better than chicken parmesan is one pan chicken parm. This was so delicious and convenient. Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
Thank you Chelsea! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
I never would’ve thought to make chicken parm like this, but it makes so much sense and seems a lot easier than frying and then baking. Turned out delicious.
Great to hear that you enjoyed this! I love pan frying my chicken parm! 🙂
first time Fixed, came out beautiful. very tasty and crispy. served with spiral pasta and garlic bread.
Huge hit, can’t wait to have it again.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Scott!