Easy-baked Parmesan and herb crusted chicken breasts are baked in the oven with panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and sage.
![Easy baked Parmesan and herb crusted chicken breasts are baked in the oven with panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and sage.](http://thecookingjar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/baked-parmesan-herb-crusted-chicken-11.jpg)
I love fried chicken as much as the next girl. And super crispy skin is one of the BEST parts of fried chicken. Bad and bad, I know. Buuut you know you can kinda have the same thing without the frying. I won’t lie and say it’s as good as fried chicken but the breading on this chicken is definitely crispy. The answer is by baking it with panko breadcrumbs. Because these breadcrumbs make everything crispy, even sans fried.
It worked for panko-crusted tilapia. It’ll work for chicken breasts. And since it’s chicken we’re messing around with now, I’ll just go and add a few herbs that’ll make ordinary chicken into wow chicken. Just a little bit of Italian seasoning here and oh maybe some sage too.
Interested yet? How about if we add some Parmesan? Now that’s gotta be good. And it all comes together pretty darn easy. Dip it in egg and then roll it in the panko Parmesan herbed breading mix and bake! Yum! Let’s start baking.
BAKED PARMESAN AND HERB CRUSTED CHICKEN RECIPE TIPS
Chicken – Be sure to pound it to an even thickness so it cooks evenly in the oven. A mounded center usually means the ends will be drier by the time the thicker part finishes cooking. You can use a meat mallet or a rolling pin and place the chicken breasts between some plastic wrap, parchment paper, or in a Ziploc bag. NOTE: This is an old recipe of mine before I learned how to pound chicken breasts. The pictures will reflect this before I learned from my mistakes.
Breading – I used the classic breading technique of first dusting with flour, dipping in egg and using that as glue for the breadcrumbs to adhere to the chicken. Other options of breading you can try are substituting the flour and egg wash with olive oil, melted butter, or mayonnaise.
Panko breadcrumbs – I chose panko because it gives a light, airy and crunchier texture to the chicken compared to the grainy texture of regular or Italian breadcrumbs.
Parmesan cheese – Use grated Parmesan cheese so it spreads evenly in the panko breadcrumbs.
Seasoning – Feel free to substitute the herb seasoning with fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, or sage. Mix and match and find your favorite herb combination.
Cooking spray – Some recipes suggest spraying the chicken with some cooking spray before baking it in the oven to increase crispiness. Regular cooking spray, olive oil or a butter spray should all work.
Baking – Bake with either a baking sheet lined in parchment paper or foil, in an oven-safe skillet like a cast-iron skillet, or in a casserole dish.
Make it over the stovetop – Pan-fry the chicken on both sides over medium heat until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side or until the chicken reads 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Serve with – Some suggestions would be some greens on the side like asparagus, broccoli, or green beans. Pair it with a third side like mashed potatoes, risotto, or cauliflower au gratin.
This recipe will also work with chicken tenders as well, although I’d suggest reducing the baking time since they’re smaller and cook faster. Maybe 10 minutes would work. Let me know! I’ve done something similar with these oven-baked buttermilk chicken strips.
And that’s about it. Enjoy your chicken, happy eating and let me know if you liked it, what you paired with it or any substitutions you made in the comments below!
MORE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES TO TRY
- Oven-Baked Chicken Breast
- Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Maple-Glazed Chicken
- Herbed Ranch Chicken
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
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Baked Parmesan and Herb Crusted Chicken
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Easy baked Parmesan and herb crusted chicken breasts are baked in the oven with panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and sage.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–8 oz. each)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, sage and salt and pepper to taste to make the breading.
- Dip the chicken in the egg and then dredge the chicken breasts in the panko mixture, patting it in to adhere until fully coated.
- Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the crust has browned.
- Dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Comments & Reviews
Very disappointed. This recipe fell completely flat in my house. While the chicken was moist and perfectly cooked, the the egg and bread crumb coating just didn’t hit the mark. Perhaps cooked in some oil in the skillet, this would be great. But following the recipe as described just did not hit the mark.
Sorry to hear it did not work out for you but thank you for taking the time and ingredients to try this one out, Tim.
I’m just learning to cook and this turned out so well! I did have to bake it for closer to about 30 minutes but that’s probably because my chicken was thicker. I didn’t have breadcrumbs so I used crushed up croutons and it was delicious! I’m so glad I found this recipe!
Glad you were able to adapt it with croutons. Good thinking! Really happy to hear this recipe was a success in your new cooking ventures as well 🙂
Super easy. Crispy & flavorful. Husband and kid approved! Thats a win in my book!!!! I need more simple recipes for weeknights.
Happy to have helped you find something, Lee! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I used 4 tenders instead of 2 breasts. Still cooked them for about 20 minutes. More of my crust stuck to the foil-lined pan than the chicken; maybe my egg game was too strong. I still scraped it off and ate it too. Nice flavor!
A bit late in replying but thanks for sharing your experience, Lin!
I cut the breasts into smaller and more even pieces before breading them and cooked for 20 minutes. They all turned out crispy outside and juicy inside.
I’m glad to hear it worked out for you and thanks for sharing how you customized it. Nice to hear people learned from my early mistakes 😉
Made this for dinner and my family loved it!
Glad to hear it, Sandra!!! Thanks for trying it out 🙂
So good! Easy prep & clean up, goes with any veggie or pasta.
I thinned the breasts before coating so they would cook evenly.
Cooked perfectly – moist and tender!
Good idea! Thinning it out makes it easier to cook 🙂
One word: delish.
I served it with oven roasted vegetables: pumpkin, onion, garlic, potato, red pepper, strips of carrot, oregano, touch of rosemary, some salt and pepper, lug of olive quality oil and a knob of butter.
Thank you for sharing you recipe.
That sounds like a wonderful side, Bridget! Gotta love roasted veggies. I’m happy the recipe worked out well for you.
This is seriously amazing! I served it with mash potatoes and we just couldn’t stop eating! And I’ve been asked to cook it again. Great pictures! They just make you wanna attack the computer and drool over it! Damn I’m hungry again!
Yay! I’m so happy someone made it! This comment has so made my day 🙂 THANK YOU for coming back to leave it.
This looks fantastic! YUM! I agree super crispy chicken (and turkey) skin are the best but it looks like you’ve come up with some mighty close. 🙂
Close, but not quite. I’ll still indulge in my crispy fried chicken skins every now and then! 🙂
Your photos are so over the top stunning. Amazing work.
Appreciate it, Jason 🙂 Loving food photography, even though it’s a lot of work!
this looks delicious. definitely craving some of that chicken, it looks so moist and crispy! pinned!
It is very moist! Funny how I didn’t think of that word to describe it until now!
Nice and simple. Just the way I like it! So funny how similar our tastes are, this is pretty much how I made the panko fish I posted last month!! This is a perfect midweek meal. So easy 🙂
Well I had two tilapia recipes, one with Parmesan and one with panko breading so I figured hey, why not combine them? And of course add herbs that go with chicken! Your crust looks is so much more prettier though!
Stunning photos Farah! This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try!
Hey thanks Annie! It was tasteh!
This is very similar to how I make mine 🙂 Definitely a lot healthier than the fried version. I need to try it with sage next time, that sounds absolutely amazing!
It’s a wonder how the herbs transform the chicken! Thanks, Christine 🙂