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For the Sauce

For the Chicken

The sauce should always be cooked first, not only because you can do it while you preheat the oven but also because it needs to be ready once you’re done with the chicken so it pays to think ahead.

If you’re making pasta as a side dish, save some of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce. It’s an old Italian trick that you’re going to love!

Step 1 – Sauté your Onions

In a sauce pan, heat up ¼ cup of olive oil and add about ¾ cup of onion, either thinly sliced or grated.

Sauté for 3 minutes or until brown.

Step 2 – Add Garlic

Add your garlic and cook for about a minute or until fragrant.

In total, the onion shouldn’t be cooking for more than 4 minutes.

Step 3 – Add Everything Else

Once the onion and garlic have been sautéed, add the crushed tomatoes, the oregano, the red pepper flakes and, lastly, the sugar.

Mix thoroughly before letting it heat until it simmers, then reduce the heat and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Once your sauce is simmering proceed to cook your chicken.

If you think your sauce might burn while you do this, take it out from the heat and start warming it up again when your chicken is in the oven.

Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Preheat the Oven

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. This needs to be the first step so the oven has reached the ideal temperature by the time you’re ready to cook the chicken.

Step 2 – Flattening the chicken

Grab your chicken cutlets or breasts and place them between two layers of food safe plastic (freezer bags do the trick) on top of a solid surface.

Firmly pound each cutlet or breast with a meat mallet, a frying pan or even your own hands.

Continue doing this until the chicken is about ½ inch thick.

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Step 3 – Breading the Chicken

To do this, you need to have three things ready:

1.- A deep bowl, where you’ll beat your eggs and 2 tbsp of water.

2.- A shallow dish with flour.

3.- A shallow dish with bread crumbs.

Once you have those ready, you can start breading the chicken:

- Take each flattened chicken breast and dredge both sides on the flour.

- Dip the chicken breasts in the egg mixtures and let the excess drain.

- Dredge the chicken breasts on the bread crumbs, pressing gently to make sure the bread crumbs stick.

- Set aside and repeat the process.

Step 4 – Sealing the Chicken

Heat 1 cup of olive oil in a large skillet or pan. Once hot, cook your chicken breasts for about 2 minutes per side or until slightly browned.

Be careful not to leave the chicken on the skillet for too long, as this will increase your chances of overcooking it once it’s in the oven.

Step 5 – Add the Sauce

Carefully arrange the chicken breasts on a baking dish once they’re all cooked and layer generously with the sauce.

Alternatively, you can cover the bottom of the baking pan with sauce first, arrange the chicken breasts second and add more sauce for good measure.

You didn’t cook your own sauce? That’s okay! Just add the tomato sauce of your preference!

It can be added cold, as it will heat up in the oven, but it’s better if it doesn’t come straight out of the fridge.

Step 6 – Add the Cheese

Layer each chicken breast with mozzarella, provolone and sprinkle everything with parmesan. You can also add fresh basil on top of everything to improve the taste.

Step 7 – Bake!

Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

Now that you have your chicken parmesan is time to serve. While this is up to personal preference, here are the most common side dishes:

Related Video: How to Make Chicken Parmesan - Chicken Parmigiana Recipe