Chicken parmesan is one of those classic dishes that nobody is going to turn down. Really, who would turn down panko and grated parmesan breaded chicken cooked to perfection and then topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, which is then broiled until golden and bubbly? I don’t know about you, but my mouth is watering just writing this.
If you are new to making panko chicken a whole new world is about to open for you. For this recipe we very lightly fried the panko chicken, but it can also be baked instead. You can use chicken breasts or chicken tenders, whatever you use make sure you pound the chicken out a bit. By pounding the chicken out it tenderizes the meat and decreases cooking time. To pound out chicken place the chicken between two pieces of parchment or wax paper and use a kitchen mallet and gently pound the chicken until it flattens a bit. Season each side of the chicken with S&P. Next assemble your stations placing flour on a plate, two eggs beaten in a low bowl and another plate with panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. Start the assembly line by dredging the chicken on both sides in the flour, run it through the egg and lastly cover each side in the panko/parmesan mixture. Set the breaded chicken on parchment paper when finished.
Time to heat up a large skillet over medium heat with butter and olive oil. Drop the chicken in the skillet and cook each side until perfectly golden brown – about 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken. Set the cooked chicken on a wire rack to cool.
Line a large pyrex dish with marinara sauce. Place the chicken in the dish and spread a spoonful of marinara sauce over the top of each piece of chicken. Add sliced mozzarella over the top and then it’s time to hit the oven. Chicken parm is typically served with pasta, but we like to serve it with spiralized zucchini noodles. If you haven’t tried spiralized zucchini noodles or any other type of spiralized vegetable, you will probably be hooked just like we are! If you don’t own a spiralizer you can purchase prepared spiralized zucchini noodles (zoodles) at many grocery stores.
Zoodles are a cinch to cook up. Simply heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the zoodles and allow to cook for about 3 minutes until they begin to soften. You can add pesto or any type of sauce you prefer to the zoodles, or even just serve them tossed in olive oil and S&P, but in this case you want to add a bit of marinara sauce and let it cook up for another 2 minutes or so. Serve the chicken parmesan over the zoodles, add some torn basil and a sprinkle of cheese and just like that you have a beautiful and delish meal!!
- 1.5 lbs chicken tenders, trimmed
- 1 C panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ C grated parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ C all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp good quality olive oil + 1 Tbsp for zoodles
- S&P
- ½ C mozarella cheese, sliced
- 3 C marinara sauce
- ⅓ C shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ C fresh basil, torn and loosely packed
- 3 large zuchinnis, spiralized
- Preaheat oven to 400 degrees
- Place chicken between two sheets of wax paper and use a kitchen malet to pound flat.
- Mix panko and grated romano together on a plate and spread out evenly. Spread flour out on a separate plate. Add beaten eggs to a low bowl. Season both sides of chicken tenders with S&P.
- Dredge chicken in flour, dip both sides in eggs and coat with panko. Place back on wax paper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil to skillet. Add chicken, cook each side 3-4 minutes turning when golden brown. Remove from heat and allow chicken to cool on a rack.
- Line a casserole dish with marinara sauce. Place chicken over the top. Add a spoonful of marinara and sliced mozarella to the top of the chicken tenders. Sprinkle with half of parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts and marinara bubbles.
- The last 5 minutes the chicken is cooking heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add spiralized zucchini noodles and sautee for 3 minutes. Add 1 C of marinara sauce to the pan and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Plate zoodles with a piece of chicken over the top. Spoon additonal sauce over the zoodles, garnish with remaining parmesan cheese and torn basil.
Sue Frandson says
Made this last night and it was delicious! I’m just getting into zoodles, so would love to see more zoodle ideas. Reading the recipes online is too overwhelming!! Keep up the good work!
Kari & Courtney says
Hi Sue! So glad you liked the recipe! We do have a lemon basil zoodle salad, a zoodle salad with cauliflower , kale and avocado and also a spiralized beet salad on the blog as well. Just search the recipe titles for the recipes. Happy cooking!
Analisa says
Help. My zoodles are always too soggy. What am I doing wrong??
Kari & Courtney says
Try not cooking them for so long, they don’t need a lot of time on the stove. Also, make sure your spiralizer setting isn’t too thin of a noodle, if there is an option for a thicker noodle like a little larger than spaghetti that’s perfect. It helps to drain out any excess liquid in the pan as well. Hope this helps!