Saturday, July 22, 2006

Chicken Parmigiana Recipe



Tender pieces of crumbed chicken are topped with homemade tomato sauce and grated cheese, and then oven baked until the cheese is golden and melted. The tomato sauce and crumbed, uncooked chicken can be prepared in advance but it is best to cook the chicken and assemble the dish just before it goes into the oven.

Serves 4-5.

Tomato Sauce

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

20ml (1 tablespoon) oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
400g can crushed/diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, firmly packed
Salt and pepper

Crumbed Chicken
400g skinless chicken breast fillets or tenderloins
2 eggs
20ml (1 tablespoon) milk
50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
About 150g (about 1 1/3 cups) packaged breadcrumbs
About 125ml (1/2 cup) oil, for frying

Cheese Topping
140g (1 1/3 cups, firmly packed) grated mozzarella cheese
40g (1/2 cup, lightly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
22g (1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a heavy-based medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until onion has softened but not browned. Add tomatoes, basil and brown sugar, increase heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reached the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for 10 minutes, and then puree sauce in a blender or food processor.

Trim any fat from chicken. If using chicken breasts, cut them in half horizontally. Cover chicken with a freezer bag and lightly pound with the flat side of meat mallet to flatten. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl. Coat one piece of chicken in flour and shake to remove excess. Then dip the chicken into the egg and milk mixture ensuring that all of the flour is moistened.

Then coat the chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to ensure crumbs adhere. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.


To fry chicken, heat some of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. We cook the chicken in two batches using 1/4 cup of oil for each batch (the number of batches will be determined by the size of your frying pan and you'll need to divide the oil evenly between each batch). Fry the chicken in a single layer, without overcrowding the pan, until golden brown and cooked through.

Wipe the pan out with paper towels between each batch of chicken to remove any crumbs. This prevents the overcooked loose crumbs adhering to the next batch of chicken.

Drain cooked chicken on paper towels.

Place cooked chicken in a large baking dish and spread with sauce. Sprinkle with combined cheeses.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees fan-forced) for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden. We sprinkle the chicken parmigiana with chopped parsley before serving.
© www.exclusivelyfood.com.au


90 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

this sounds delicious, cant wate to try it out

3/1/07 1:50 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yummy!
this meal was great,
would you have any suggestion on how to make the tomato sauce topping a little more flavoursom.

6/1/07 7:39 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

If you would like the tomato sauce to have a stronger flavour, you could increase the simmering time so that the sauce is quite concentrated and thick. Or you could try increasing the amount of garlic and basil.

6/1/07 8:36 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My husband loved this dish. Thanks for the recipe. I have added fresh thyme and a bay leaf to the tomato sauce which is delicious, or some chilli flakes to give it a little zing. Jamie Oliver recommends adding a tablespoon each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar to the sauce right at the end, which also makes it more flavoursome. Great gastroblog - love all the recipes. Thanks again.

29/1/07 5:14 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

it work with abit of bacon

10/4/07 5:13 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thank you for this recipe i can smell it cooking and it smells beautiful i added some dried mixed herbs caynene peper and sweet chilli sauce it beautiful i can wait to eat it on my chicken!!

6/6/07 5:57 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I made this for mothers day - there was a moment of panic when I couldn’t get the chicken to stop sticking to the frying pan (remedied by using a lot more oil) but it ended up looking and tasting great! thankyou.

8/6/07 9:30 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i made this at school for home ec and i got an A, teacher loved it too and so did my family, i added a couple of bacon rashers under the sauce and it was brilliant. thanks guys

11/6/07 10:18 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I cook this for my partner and I usually put a few thin slices of triple smoked ham on top of the sauce, then the cheese and then I add a little chopped parsley and paprika to decorate it. Bloody brilliant.

27/6/07 3:46 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I cooked this dish for my pregnant wife, and even our unborn child wriggled with excitment at the taste!! I've been looking for a parmigiana recipe for a while and this is it!! Don't change a thing it tastes Amazing as it is!!

10/8/07 6:32 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great dish!! I added a 4 tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken the sauce and add flavour...worked a treat! A little diced red capisican doesn't hurt either.

14/8/07 4:02 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you add a little bit of worcester sauce to the tomatoe sauce it really boosts the flavour!! YUM

15/8/07 4:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey guys, i know the answer to this question might be blatently obvious but i don't cook much so i'm going to have to ask it - in the part of the recipe where it says "Drain on paper towel", what exactly does this mean?

any help would be much appreciated!

24/8/07 3:01 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

Fried foods are often briefly drained on paper towel to absorb excess cooking oil (so that the food isn't too greasy).

1) Stack a couple of sheets of paper towel on a plate.
2) As you remove the cooked chicken from the pan, place a few pieces of chicken on the towel in a single layer.
3) Cover the chicken with some paper towel and add another layer of chicken pieces.
4) Repeat procedure with any remaining chicken.

Hope that helps!

24/8/07 3:52 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thanx very much amanda & debbie, worked like a charm :D

26/8/07 2:54 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i recently tried your chicken kiev recipe and it was so easy to make and tasted fantastic i had to come back and try another one. looks like i'm eating well tonight, thanks for the great recipes, the comment help alot too, cheers...

19/10/07 1:21 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whilst I feel somewhat blasphemous suggesting this, we find that making the tomato sauce can be a bit tedious and have switched to Salsa (i.e Dorito's Salsa). I prefer it to the napoli style sauce as it gives it a bit of a tang. (Don't hate me for suggesting this!)

6/1/08 1:20 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

love all recipes you have here.. very easy and yummy. our 4 year old and 29 yrs old love chicken parmasiana so much, they didnt stop eating, on the night i made chicken parmasiana..
More recipes please..

28/1/08 11:25 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey i'm cooking this at school, i was just wondering what could i serve it with.

17/2/08 4:32 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

You could serve the chicken parmigiana with a green salad, or steamed green vegetables such as beans, broccoli or zucchini.

17/2/08 10:34 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

what about serving it with hotchips and a salad. i'm not a big fan of beans, broccoli or zucchini.

18/2/08 6:52 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i tryed it before i was just wondering if its Italian

2/4/08 4:09 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

We would say this is an Italian-style dish (not authentic).

5/4/08 9:09 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great recipe! would definately make this again.

16/4/08 12:06 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey, I'm only 13 and plan to make it for my family. I think that if you were to serve it with hot chips, then maybe the chips could be seasoned with somethig other than just salt... a tiny bit of paprika maybe?

18/4/08 4:04 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I serve this with mash potato and mixed baby lettuce leaves and rocket. In winter it works well with some boiled baby potatoes, broccoli and zucchini wedges. Also, I add some chopped herbs and grated parmesan to the bread crumb mixture. My chicken schnitzels are to die for (or so I've been told)light and super crunchy. Always use olive oil for frying.

5/5/08 4:53 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was thinking of making this but without crumbing the chicken, just the chicken breast with the sauce and cheese, how do you think this would go?

7/5/08 10:49 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Use panko breadcrumbs from the asian section of your supermarket. They are the absolute best.

15/5/08 2:09 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

Plain pan-fried or grilled chicken could be used instead of the crumbed chicken. The dish will be quicker and easier to prepare, and lower in fat, but we would miss the flavour and texture of the fried breadcrumb coating!

16/5/08 9:35 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fantastic dish, my whole family enjoyed it thoroughly. Will use it regularly now for family meals, adds another string to me bow.

26/5/08 9:45 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi this question may seem silly, but what if you don't have a meat mallet? do you have to pound the chicken?

29/5/08 7:46 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You could also use a rolling pin.

8/6/08 11:19 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yuuuu uuuuummmy fabulous dish!!
some smoked ham under the souce works great!!
and the sauce is really nice with a bit of tamato paste!!!
otherwise luved it!!

2/8/08 3:38 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Absolutely delicious recipe! Had it with the ham (great idea might I add), Served with veges and a fresh green salad.

20/9/08 1:06 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I made this last night and it was so good. I used chicken snitzels from the butcher to save time and cooked the sauce for longer so it would thicken up. Would recomend to anyone!

1/10/08 12:03 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

mixing it up with a little shaved ham is divine!

9/10/08 12:05 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi there,
I'm 15, and I want to make this for my family. My Step-Mum has a condition which limits her salt intake. Is there anything I can use to replace the cheese on top?

Thanks heaps,

11/10/08 1:56 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

Hi Claire

Is your stepmum able to eat ricotta cheese? Ricotta usually contains less salt than parmesan, cheddar or mozzarella (check the nutrition panel to be safe). If you live in Australia, this website about low sodium foods may be helpful when you are cooking for your stepmum.

12/10/08 4:45 pm  
Blogger Matt bryant Editorial Illustrator said...

I loved this recipe guys......I was taught by an old Italian lady to do Chicken schnitzel.....The only difference between hers and yours is the mixture.. hers was
Eggs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, onion and milk.

17/10/08 1:09 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Someone asked about how to get some more flavour into the tomato sauce. I'd suggest that when you fry the onion and garlic, throw in one or two anchovies, along with a crumbled dried red chilli. The anchovies will disolve and give a nice flavour which is quite un-anchovy like! The chilli just gives it some zing. That's my tip!

21/10/08 2:51 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could you mix a little parmesan cheese into the breadcrumbs to add a more parmy flavour? Or would the cheese melt and the breadcrumb coating fall off, or stick to the pan?

4/11/08 9:14 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't like to fry as my house ends up smelling like a take away shop for a week... Is there a way I can cook this in the oven and still get a delicious chicken parmigiana?

18/11/08 2:15 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

To the person who asked about adding parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs: Yes, you could add some finely grated parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs. If you do, we recommend pan-frying the chicken in a non-stick pan.

27/11/08 12:05 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

To the person who asked about baking rather than pan-frying the chicken: We haven't tried cooking the crumbed chicken in the oven, but you could try using the method described here. We would spray both sides of the crumbed chicken with oil before baking.

4/12/08 6:55 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I Myself Have Been Using Parmesan Cheese For A Couple Years Into The Breadcrumb Mixture, Try Adding Mixed Herbs And Rosemary As A Little Taste Kick Into It. Also With The Sauce I Blend It With A Couple Rashers Of Bacon And Tomato Paste I Found This Very Satisfying And Would Recommend To Anyone:)

8/12/08 8:48 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent. Absolutely delicious! I also put a slice of ham on top under the cheese which was a really good additive!

11/12/08 3:42 pm  
Blogger Samantha-Jade said...

my mum always said to fry your crummed chicken in butter instead of oil, it give it a really brown crisp coat. chicken parmi will always be a family favourite :) happy eating

16/1/09 12:10 pm  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hi, I'm making this recipe today for lunch, but the only difference being that once I have layered my crumbed chicken in its baking dish, I then put slices of pre-cooked eggplant, then my sauce, and then the cheese. I thought this is what a true Parmigiana was. You might like to try it this way - its delicious and healthy because you are adding a vegetable option!!

15/2/09 8:49 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I made this for my fiance for Valentines day and it was absolutely amazing!
we used (premade) schnitzel with cheese to save time and it did the trick.
loved it so much i'm making it tomorrow night for dinner!

23/2/09 5:49 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this was a great dish.
thanks very much :)my boyfriend loved itttt!!! and so do I.

27/2/09 3:56 pm  
Blogger sharni_kalani said...

Best Parma Recipe ever!!!!
Does take a while, but is sure worth the effort, plus add a few more herbs for flavour. Plus we just use whatever cheese we have, not motzzeralla

8/3/09 4:26 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yum my husband and I love chicken parmigiana cant wait to make it tonight should be good! My tip for this yummy dish is add extra herbs and spices to your tomato sauce such as basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic salt, pepper etc
and trust me it will be a dish to die for. Try making it for ur loved one on a special occasion served with a yummy garden or greek salad and some chips on the side! Enjoy... :)

18/3/09 12:02 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

made this for dinner last night and everyone was impressed! delicious!! i wish there was some left over for lunch today.

27/3/09 11:03 am  
Anonymous ~~Natty~The~Ratty~~ said...

this sounds like the best chicken parmigiana recipe i've ever seen! i can't wait to try it tonight, it sound sso easy and yummy to make! thanks for the recipe! :D

29/3/09 12:57 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great recipe - parmigiana's are always fantastic. In our house we add some Cayenne Pepper to the breadcrumb mix to add some extra spice.

29/4/09 7:55 pm  
Anonymous Esme said...

I add sliced mushroom, capsicum and a dash of cream to the sauce. It makes a more balanced meal.
I serve this dish with oven baked chips. Definitely a family favourite.

4/5/09 2:27 pm  
Anonymous Shell said...

Made this last night using a low fat pizza cheese mix (which had all the cheeses mentioned in the recipe) and it was delicious! Have tried out several of your recipes now (the roasted pumpkin soup & the parmesan crusted chicken, as well as this one) and I think this one turned out the best of the three.

I accompanied mine with a few chips and some steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini), but you could do salad as well. Even my brother wants to nick this recipe from me - he loved the tomato sauce!

12/7/09 10:51 am  
Anonymous Tasha said...

Another wonderful recipe. I'm loving your site and all the delicious and practical recipes you have on here. Well done!

21/7/09 1:52 pm  
Blogger Unknown said...

Very easy and you deserve this comment, and more.

17/9/09 10:07 pm  
Blogger Unknown said...

When you say can of crushed/diced tomatoes in ingredients, are you just referring to general cans of chopped tomatoes. I never see them called anything else. Thanks

1/10/09 12:39 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

I just wondered that when you mention cans of crushed or diced tomatoes in the ingredients, are you just referring to regular tins of chopped tomatoes that you buy in supermarkets? Thanks

1/10/09 12:40 am  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

Hi Richard

Yes, that's right. The brand we are currently using contains just tomatoes and tomato juice.

6/10/09 4:21 pm  
Anonymous Jiraporn said...

I made it last night, it was fantastic! Next time, I will add some dry chilly as we love spicy food! Thank you for your great recipe!

19/10/09 2:50 pm  
Anonymous Lilly Hooper said...

This recipe was absolutely delicious. I used fresh basil instead of dry, it was much more flavoursome. I didnt simmer my sauce for 35-40 minutes eaither and it worked absolutely fine. Thanks for the GREAT recipe.

16/1/10 5:46 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice dish thanks for the recipe, i overfried the chicken a little but overall pretty nice

18/1/10 3:16 pm  
Blogger Unknown said...

This was amazing! Thanks so much! Great directions, and I have used that crumbing technique for other recipes.

27/3/10 2:07 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This Parmigiana was the best ive ever made.. the sauce was absolutely beautiful full of flavour and the crispy chicken was delicious.. so awesome i will be making this all the time i also had sauce left over.. so i froze it and froze the uncooked left over crumbed chicken breast so it will be easier next time for a hassle free meal.. all i have to do is put the cheese on top and ready to go.. lovely

28/4/10 5:42 pm  
Anonymous Lucy said...

I made this a few nights ago and it was a big success - my partner loved it!! I used pancho breadcrumbs (from the Asian section of the supermarket) and I highly recommend using these - slightly more expensive but so light and tasty. I added some chopped red capsicum to the tomato sauce and didn't bother blending it. I also added some shaved ham on top of the sauce below the cheese before cooking in the oven. Very tasty!! Thanks.

29/4/10 3:54 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this was better than any chicken parmi i had ever tasted - i didn't have to add a thing! we used the left over tomato paste for pasta sauce the next night.

using a red onion makes the tomato paste that little bit sweeter and i used a heap of fresh basil.

AMAZING!!

11/5/10 11:41 am  
Anonymous Carlie. said...

I added some bacon to the sauce. Delicious!

24/6/10 9:22 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

loved this dish, had some friends over and took no time to make. for those in a rush, pre-made chicken schnitzel can be used (store bought also). Thanks for the recipe.

29/6/10 4:52 pm  
Blogger Ceci said...

Great recipe! Only thing I changed (because I don't like packet breadcrumbs), used fresh breadcrumbs made in the food processor with 2 day old bread.

28/7/10 8:21 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also use ham under the sauce... but my boyfriend also adds thinly sliced pineapple on top of the ham- kinda like a Hawaiian pizza flavour going on...

2/9/10 10:12 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great loved it, but instead of tomato sause i used bolognaise sauce and it turned out great, added a side of mashed potatoes and steamed vegies and the whole family loved it :)

13/9/10 6:53 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This dish is delicious. As a side i recommend vegetable chips! Slice carrot, sweet potato, potato, fresh beetroot, asparagus and any others you like, into chip sized pieces and steam them. Then coat in rice flour and dip in a soda water plain flour mix. Fry in hot oil. It's beautiful and very different.

29/9/10 12:33 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am a really bad cook but this was so easy to make and turned out DELICIOUS, i made it for my sister and her family and they loved it!

21/12/10 4:13 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow this was so great. I rubbed the chicken breasts generously with seasoned salt before dredging them with flour and it added a lot more flavour. Thanks for another treat.

16/1/11 6:41 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have made these a few times and been a hit each time, I slightly amended the tommy sauce by adding 100 grams of bacon and 2tsps of garlic to give a bit of a richer taste, thanks again girls!

25/4/11 1:06 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi guys. we are having a sort of master chef competition in my year 9 food class and i was wondering if i should make this recipe. We have 50 minutes to make the food i was wondering how long it takes to make this recipe including the sauce and chicken. Does it take less than 50 minutes to make?!

15/5/11 10:24 pm  
Blogger Amanda and Debbie said...

If you wanted to make this dish in 50 minutes or less, you would need to make changes to the recipe (e.g. cook the sauce on a higher heat so it reaches a suitable consistency in less than 35 minutes, finish the dish under the grill rather than in the oven etc.).

19/5/11 7:40 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is so simple to make and very tasty... thankyou

1/7/11 1:09 pm  
Blogger jeanie said...

We had this (again) tonight - a hit every time!!

30/7/11 8:43 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Amanda and Debbie.
I am going to make this dish for my boyfriend this week - he loves a good parmy - and was wondering how long you would allow to prepare it?

8/8/11 4:53 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great meal and we loved it. I served with mash and carrots and beans. Also did it without the crumbs and a bolognaise sauce. Yumbo
Thank you

8/8/11 6:28 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi there just tried the Chicken Parmigiana Recipe and it is delicious, what other meat could you use instead of Chicken? Love this web site...

26/9/11 4:43 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i have this all the time and it is always a hit! thank you :)

9/10/11 7:07 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Instead of using breadcrumbs I used "Panko" is great.

23/1/12 9:49 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i dont have any tomoatos and im dying for parmy is there anyway i could swap out the diced tomatos for tomato paste and add some herbs and seasoning

8/4/12 5:28 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This recipe is awesome,very tasty

12/8/13 10:51 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I use salsa too! Its a lot nicer

16/8/13 2:49 pm  

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