Parmesan: Unfussy Chicken

In this Unfussy Chicken Parmesan recipe, crispy cracker crumb coated chicken breasts are smothered with a simple marinara, topped parmesan cheese and melty mozzarella! Serves 4.

But because so many called for canned soup, I didn’t make all of them, but I remember this particular recipe catching my eye. It seemed pretty unfussy enough; chicken breasts, a can of tomato sauce, seasonings. And being that it was in my early cooking days, it was something I knew that I could tackle.

And I remember being AMAZED at how good it tasted and even more amazed that I actually made it.

This unfussy Parmesan chicken recipe has made it through the years, albeit with a few (okay a lot) changes but a familiar nonetheless.

And you guys, I’m not joking when I say this dish is notable. The smell of chicken, parmesan and garlic fill your home with such an inviting and intoxicating aroma that I promise will get everyone excited for dinner. After school, our girls would bust through the front door and said “MOM! Honestly what smells worth the pot?” <—true test

And when it comes to this unfussy chicken Parmesan, it never fails that we always, always clean our plates.

To cook this Straightforward Chicken Parmesan Gather:

• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• eggs
• black pepper
• crackers (like Ritz)
• kosher salt
• olive oil
• garlic
• tomato sauce
• basil
• sugar
• butter
• parmesan cheese
• mozzarella
• dry pasta like spaghetti or your go-to
• fresh parsley and /or fresh basil

In a nutshell, you need some pretty basic ingredients in order to whip up this dish.

Take two boneless, skinless chicken breasts (that are on the larger side, weighing in at about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds total weight) and slice them in half horizontally. I did notice that my grocery store sells “thin cut” chicken breasts, but that usually comes with a price mark-up and the breasts are sometimes on the smaller side. If that’s all you can find then six smaller chicken breast halves will work in this dish only fine.

I’ve butterflied a few chicken breasts in my day and at first I was a hot mess. But with a little practice and a sharp chefs knife you too can master it. Or simply buy it pre-sliced. Up to you.

I place an entire sleeve of crackers into a resealable bag and crush them by hand. It takes only a minute or two and is surprisingly therapeutic. Then pour the cracker crumbs into a shallow dish and season with a half teaspoon of kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.

I swear it’s these buttery crackers (I use Ritz- always have, always will) that give this chicken the crunchy golden layer. Now, these are store bought crackers.

Because I am not willing to make my own crackers simply to crush them all up and coat chicken.

Crack two eggs into a separate shallow dish, season with a couple grinds of black pepper and beat with a fork. Dip the chicken breast halves into the beaten egg, coating both sides and letting any excess egg drip off back into the dish.

Working with one chicken breast (halve) at a time, press both sides into the cracker crumbs.

Until both sides are coated well.

Pile them on to a plate and bring them over to the stove.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large 10 to 12-inch skillet.

Once the oil is good and hot, work in batches and lay two of the breaded chicken breasts into the hot oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side. You’ll know it’s a good time to flip when you see the deep golden crust along the edges of the chicken.

Flip and repeat for another 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the browned chicken breasts to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any extra oil.

Once all the chicken breasts have been browned, place them in a lightly greased (I use olive oil spray) 9×13 baking dish.

Now check out that crispy golden goodness!

With the chicken now cooked, reduce the temperature to medium. Carefully wipe the excess oil out with paper towel and allow the pan some time to cool down a tad. Then squeeze in two cloves of fresh garlic through my garlic press and into the pan, stir that around for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Pour in 30 ounces or bout 3-1/2 cups (or two 15-ounce cans) of tomato sauce and measure in 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a half teaspoon of dried basil. You could completely use fresh basil in this as well, about a tablespoon would do.

Then add in 1/2 teaspoon sugar and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Once the sauce has simmered and thickened, drop in two tablespoons of unsalted butter and let that melt. The butter not only adds flavor but a nice velvety-ness to the sauce.

Lastly, stir in a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.

Pour about a third of the sauce over the chicken leaving some of the crispy chicken exposed.

You don’t genuinely want to drown the chicken in sauce, but each piece of chicken should have a generous bit of sauce.

Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

Then cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes.

While that is going on, bring a pot of water to boil, seasoned it with a generous tablespoon of sea salt. Then drop in about a half a box of spaghetti noodles, cook as directed on the package.

Once the pasta is done, use tongs to transfer into the pan with the remaining sauce.

Toss to coat every so often and keep on low-heat so the pasta stays warm.

After the 30 minutes are up remove the foil and breeeeeathe that goodness into your lungs.

I fold a slice of mozzarella in half and place it on top of each chicken breast. Slide the pan back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until melted and slightly golden.

Seriously look at that CHEESE! This Straightforward Chicken Parmesan seriously smells so darn good and there’s only one thing left to do.

Serve this Straightforward Chicken Parmesan on some of that spaghetti pasta and EAT IT UP!

Feel free to sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley or fresh basil over top for a pop of green! I hope you add this flavor-packed and unfussy chicken parmesan recipe to your recipe repertoire. Everyone at the table certainly LOVES this method and I’m so happy to finally share it with all of you!

Enjoy! And if you give this Unfussy Chicken Parmesan recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!