Superb Parmesan Chicken
Submitted by betty.riordan
Baked parmesan-crusted chicken: bite-size pieces dipped in garlic butter, rolled in a Parmesan-breadcrumb coating, and baked hot until golden and crunchy. The family trick is cutting the chicken small.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
45 minThe secret here is not a fancy ingredient, it is the knife. Cutting the chicken into small, two-inch pieces gives you far more surface area, which means more of that buttery, crunchy Parmesan crust in every bite. That is the detail that made this a recipe worth fighting over the drippings for.
Each piece gets dipped first in garlic-spiked melted butter, then pressed into a coating of breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and Italian seasoning. The butter is what glues the crust on and helps it brown.
A hot oven does the rest in about fifteen minutes, no frying and no mess. Expect the underside to brown more deeply than the top, which is exactly right. The recipe comes from Elise of Simply Recipes, recreated from her mother’s kitchen.
Pro Tips
- Pat the chicken dry before dipping so the butter and crumbs cling instead of sliding.
- Cut the pieces small and even for the best coating-to-meat ratio and quick, uniform cooking.
- Leave a little space between pieces on the pan so they brown rather than steam.
- Drizzle any leftover garlic butter over the top before baking for an even crisper crust.
Variations
- Use panko in place of regular breadcrumbs for extra crunch.
- Add a pinch of cayenne or smoked paprika to the crumb mix for warmth.
- Serve over pasta with marinara to turn it into a quick chicken Parmesan.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 450℉ (230℃) F. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.
In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.
Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9×13 baking dish . Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.
Note:
When we were kids, my mother used to make this Parmesan chicken that was so good we would fight for drippings, every last crumb. She would use boneless, skinless chicken (after having de-boned a whole chicken and then used the bones for stock) and cut the pieces into much smaller pieces. The chicken would cook much faster this way, and the ratio of buttery, crunchy coating to meat much higher. Mom forgot the exact recipe over time, but I think we came pretty close in recreating it with this chicken parmesan recipe.
Elise
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