Quick & Easy Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between parmesan chicken and chicken parmesan? ›

Brace yourself for this one—they're the same dish! Chicken Parmesan and chicken Parmigiana are just different names for the same exact recipe. And, with a name like “chicken Parmigiana”, you might assume that this recipe is Italian. While it has roots in Italy (in a way), chicken Parmesan is all-American.

Salad: A crisp, refreshing salad can balance the richness of the Chicken Parm. Salads are always a good idea for chicken parmesan sides. You could pair it with a simple Green Salad, a Classic Caesar Salad or if you want something with lots of flavor you can try my That Good Salad recipe!

While the typical method for making chicken parmesan is to spread the sauce across the chicken first and then follow with cheese, this is a one-way ticket to a soggy mess. Whether fresh or dry, breadcrumbs are highly absorbent and will take on wetness from the sauce, cheese, and meat itself.

Sprinkle on some grated parmesan or Romano cheese and some fresh basil. Finish it off with a little more tomato sauce. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and bake it for 20 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.

Chicken parmesan or chicken parmigiana (Italian: pollo alla parmigiana) is a dish that consists of breaded chicken breast covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella, Parmesan, or provolone.

If you'd like a little more kick in flavor, you can enjoy some pecorino Romano as an alternative to Parmesan, but make sure to use pecorino carefully because the flavor is more intense and will make more of a statement.

You see, in Italy, Parmesan cheese is reserved for pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces, cream sauces, and meat-based dishes. Adding Parmesan cheese to a seafood-based dish, like spaghetti with clams, is a big no-no. It's like adding ketchup to a steak or pineapple on a pizza – it just doesn't belong!

While chicken parm is often served with spaghetti in restaurants, it isn't mandatory. When preparing it at home you can choose anything from linguine and fettuccine to rigatoni and farfalle depending on your personal preference.

To maximize crispiness, I use panko breadcrumbs and fry the chicken in a little more oil (about an inch) than you might normally use when making parm. As soon as the cutlets are nicely browned and cooked all the way though, drain them on a rack or paper towels. They're crunchy; this will help them stay that way.

Why does the breading fall off my chicken parm? ›

You Don't Start Dry

The first step to breading chicken is crucial; make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy and thus will not adhere properly to the chicken.

The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”

Olive Bread with Olive Oil Dip: Among the best side dishes in my recipe box, this crusty bread is one of the most popular to serve with parmesan-crusted chicken. Simple yet elegant, this Italian food comes to life when paired with my sumptuous olive oil bread dip.

The short answer here is: set your oven to 350 degrees F. Put your whole, unstuffed chicken in the oven, and it's going to take 20 to 25 minutes for every pound that chicken weighs.

For a cheese to be classified as Parmigiano-Reggiano, it must come from particular regions of Italy and contain only certain approved ingredients. Parmigiano-Reggiano is also aged at least one year and up to three years. Parmesan, on the other hand, is not regulated, and may be aged as little as 10 months.

Some believe that it was created in Parma, hence the name. Others believe it comes from a Sicilian word that means slabs on a roof, referring to the thin slices of chicken covered in the sauce.

Variations and offshoots aside, chicken parmigiana as you know it always contains the same batch of basic ingredients: Chicken breast, often butterflied, breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, Neapolitan tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Is Any Parmesan Cheese Vegetarian? The good news is yes. Because although the enzyme that comprises rennet is always animal-based, there are now vegetable-based enzymes—obtained by soaking plants like artichokes or thistles—and microbial-based substitutes, which are made from mold enzymes extracted in a lab.