Three Cheese Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Panko)

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This recipe for three cheese crispy chicken parmesan with panko will be a hit with your family and friends. The chicken is perfectly seasoned, crusted in panko and bread crumbs, creates the perfect crunch. There are three layers of cheese to create this beautiful dish that you are going to fall in love with.

Reasons to love this chicken parmesan

• Tasty; The flavor that comes out of this dish is one that you’re going to read to recreate over and over. Perfect salt. Perfect Italian with the perfect amount of ooey gooey cheese.
• Easy to execute; with my simple step-by-step instructions, you’ll feel encouraged that you can execute this dish with golden perfection.
• Crowd pleaser; This is one of the most requested dishes that I’ve made. I’m happy to share my secrets and help you execute it so that you can share it with all of your friends.

About Japanese Panko Bread Crumbs

I love adding Japanese Panko bread crumbs to many dishes because of the crunch factor that it provides after being fried or baked. It also absorbs less oil than bread crumbs. So you will notice that your chicken parmesan will not feel or taste oily at all! It will only come out crisp and crunchy.

Video Instructions

To make Three Cheese Crispy Chicken Parmesan

• Chicken breast; take a full breast and slice it in half and pound it thin. You can also find prepared thin sliced chicken breast.
• Italian seasoned bread crumbs; Great for flavor and perfect for breading.
• Panko; these Japanese bread crumbs are the perfect addition for extra crunch. Don’t try not to skip this addition. 
• Egg; helps bind the breeding to the chicken.
• Flour; all purpose will work.
• Provolone cheese; has a mild taste and a great stretch factor.
• Mozzarella cheese; this cheese has the perfect elasticity. It is also mild in flavor and has a slightly tangy taste.
• Parmesan cheese; has a fruity and nutty taste. 
• Tuscan Italian seasoning; the perfect blend of spices. 
• Kosher Salt
• Jarred marinara sauce ; there are some great jarred sauces in the store. Go for a sauce that costs slightly over $5 and you will be surprised at the taste. I like to use Jerseys Italian Gravy, or Bertolli d’Italia brand of marinara sauce. 

Steps to create this dish

Preparing the chicken

1. Preheat your oven to 375° F
2. Cut your chicken breast in half. Place plastic wrap over the top of each half and pound out with a mallet until it’s ¼ inch thick. 
3. Season each chicken cutlet front and back with Tuscan seasoning and kosher salt. 
4. Place flour onto a plate.
5. Whisk eggs on another plate.
6. Mix bread, crumb, panko and paprika in a separate plate.
7. Using three separate plates, set up your dredging station in this order: flour, egg and panko breadcrumb mixture.
8. Dip one cutlet at a time starting with flour, then egg, and finally panko breadcrumb mixture. 
9. Set them to the side on a sheet pan until you’re ready to fry them.

Cooking crispy chicken

1. In a large skillet, heat the canola oil to 365° F.
2. Once your oil is hot, add three pieces of chicken to the skillet.
3. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
4. When both sides are golden brown, remove the chicken from the skillet in place on a wire rack to drain off excess oil.
5. Repeat this process until all pieces that you have cut are fried.

Layering and Baking

1. In a shallow glass dish 9×18 in. Add a small layer of marinara sauce.
2. Lay chicken cutlets into your dish. Slightly overlapping each other.
3. Place another layer of marinara sauce on top of the chicken. Make sure not to fully cover the entire piece of chicken. Just enough sauce that you can taste it.
4. Next, add your three cheese layer. Provolone, mozzarella, parmesan.
5. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, turn the oven to the broil setting on high.
7.  Broil the top of the cheese for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
8. Remove from the oven, garnish with parsley and more parmesan to your liking.
9. Serve with your favorite spaghetti, rigatoni or other pasta shape.
10. Enjoy!! 

Pro Tips

• Beware when broiling the tops of the parmesan bake. This part of the cooking will happen very quickly!
• If you are new to frying, make sure you adjust your oil temperature accordingly. Keeping it at medium- high temp is you best option for perfect pan frying.
• If you are making this meal for a large group, change your oil out every 2-3 batches of chicken.

What to enjoy with cheesy parmesan?

Spaghetti; traditionally chicken parmesan is served with a side of spaghetti noodles with marinara sauce on top.

Any pasta shape; You can decide to use any type of pasta shape on the side. Rigatoni, penne, angel hair pasta, linguine. Any of these would work with a side of marinara sauce on top.

Garlic mashed potatoes; although it’s not a traditional side for a parmesan. Garlic mashed potatoes would go really well as a side to parmesan. The flavor of the potatoes would go really nicely.

Storage, freezing and reheating tips

Storage; Store leftovers in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Reheating; The best method of reheating chicken parmesan is in the oven or toaster oven. Using either of these methods will help keep the crispness of the chicken.

Freezing; You can freeze your chicken cutlets that have been cooked. I would not recommend freezing the entire dish put together with the marinara and cheese on top. To thaw out or reheat, place the chicken in the oven or drop them in the fryer until they are heated through. Then add your marinara and cheese and finish.

Other ways to prepare

Bake; This is a traditional technique that is normally used. Bake your chicken breast in the oven on a wire rack at 375° until golden brown in the internal temperature reaches 165° F. After your chicken is baked that’s when I then would add marinara and cheese and finish off melting and boiling cheese.

Air fry; Place chicken breast in the air fry basket. Bake at 400° F until the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165° F. I would still use the traditional oven four toaster oven for browning the top.

Three Cheese Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Panko)

This recipe for three cheese crispy chicken parmesan with panko will be a hit with your family and friends. The chicken is perfectly seasoned, crusted in panko and breadcrumbs creates the perfect crunch. There are three layers of cheese to create this beautiful dish that you are going to fall in love with.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Calories 788 kcal

Equipment

• Large frying pan
• Glass baking dish
• Oven
• Wire rack

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 full size chicken breasts Halved and pounded thin
• 1 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup panko
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 whole eggs
• 4 tbsp Tuscan seasoning
• 1 tbsp. Kosher salt
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb cooked spaghetti noodles
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 6 slices mozzarella cheese
• ½ c. Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• Fresh or dried parsley garnish

Instructions

 

Prepping your chicken

• Preheat your oven to 375° F
• Cut your chicken breast in half. Place plastic wrap over the top of each half and pound out with a mallet until it’s ¼ inch thick.
• Season each chicken cutlet front and back with Tuscan seasoning and kosher salt.
• Place flour onto a plate.
• Whisk eggs on another plate.
• Mix bread, crumb, panko and paprika in a separate plate.
• Using three separate plates, set up your dredging station in this order: flour, egg and panko breadcrumb mixture.
• Dip one cutlet at a time starting with flour, then egg, and finally panko breadcrumb mixture.
• Set them to the side on a sheet pan until you’re ready to fry them.

Frying your chicken

• In a large skillet, heat the canola oil to 365° F.
• Once your oil is hot, add three pieces of chicken to the skillet.
• Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
• When both sides are golden brown, remove the chicken from the skillet in place on a wire rack to drain off excess oil.
• Repeat this process until all pieces that you have cut are fried.

Baking Chicken parmesan

• In a shallow glass dish 9×18 in. Add a small layer of marinara sauce.
• Lay chicken cutlets into your dish. Slightly overlapping each other.
• Place another layer of marinara sauce on top of the chicken. Make sure not to fully cover the entire piece of chicken. Just enough sauce that you can taste it.
• Next, add your three cheese layer. Provolone, mozzarella, parmesan.
• Bake in the oven, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, turn the oven to the broil setting on high.
• Broil the top of the cheese for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
• Remove from the oven, garnish with parsley and more parmesan to your liking.
• Serve with your favorite spaghetti, rigatoni or other pasta shape.
• Enjoy!!

Notes

• Beware when broiling the tops of the parmesan bake. This part of the cooking will happen very quickly!
• If you are new to frying, make sure you adjust your oil temperature accordingly. Keeping it at medium- high temp is you best option for perfect pan frying.
• If you are making this meal for a large group, change your oil out every 2-3 batches of chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 788kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 14gFat: 65gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 17gMonounsaturated Fat: 38gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1473mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 325IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 215mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Meat, Spaghetti

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