I don’t know about you, but there are some foods that I absolutely love and rarely make. I’m either not making them because they are loaded with too much fat and calories or they are too labor intensive. Chicken parmesan is one of those meals that I love, but because it’s usually heavily breaded and then fried in lots of oil I steer clear of it. This past weekend I was feeling ambitious and decided to not only lighten up on of my favorite dishes, but make it a one pot meal as well. So here it is, Skillet Chicken Parmesan and boy was it delicious!
This past weekend we had some unusually warm weather here in Colorado, 60 degrees, and spring fever started to hit me. I opened up the windows in the house, let in the fresh mountain air, and sat in the sunniest spot soaking up all that vitamin D, it was absolutely perfect! Sadly I know this is just a tease and that we have the potential for snow up until Memorial Day with most of our snow happening in the next couple months. A girl can dream though that spring is right around the corner even if I am sitting here writing this a staring at the snow that still hasn’t melted from our neighbor’s yard.
Enjoying all the beautiful weather over the weekend didn’t leave me with much motivation or time to stand around in the kitchen cooking. Luckily this Skillet Chicken Parmesan doesn’t require a whole lot of time. A big time saver was that I already had my Easy Marinara Sauce made (I could just eat that stuff with a spoon)! Of course if you don’t want to make your own marinara feel free to just use your favorite jarred brand.
To make the Skillet Chicken Parmesan all you need to do is heat up a large cast iron or nonstick skillet. Next, take your chicken cutlets and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Dip the cutlets into a lightly beaten egg white making sure they are covered, then coat each cutlet in the seasoned panko breadcrumb mixture. When your skillet is nice and hot add the chicken in and brown them on each side for about 4-5 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through add in the marinara sauce and top the whole thing with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Finish the dish off in the oven under the broiler so that the cheese gets nice and golden and crispy!
There you have it friends, Skillet Chicken Parmesan without all the mess and a fraction of the calories thanks to the lightly breaded coating on the chicken and no heavy frying! The flavor is just as amazing and you’ll have more time to dream about the coming of spring!
Skillet Chicken Parmesan
A lighter and easier to make version of chicken parmesan! Great for a fancy Sunday dinner or an easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 cups Easy Marinara Sauce, or jarred marinara
Instructions
- In a shallow dish combine the panko, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese.
- In another shallow dish combine the egg white and teaspoon of water and lightly whisk them together.
- Sprinkle both sides of the chicken cutlets with the salt and pepper.
- Heat a 12 inch cast iron skillet with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium high heat.
- Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg mixture then dredge them in the panko breadcrumb mixture.
- Add the prepared chicken cutlets to the hot skillet and cook on each side for 4-5 minutes until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and place it on a plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium low and add in the marinara sauce cooking until it is heated through, 1-2 minutes.
- Place the chicken on top of the marinara sauce and top with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
- Place skillet in the oven and broil for several minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Serve immediately.
More Skillet Dinners:
This look delicious. I love one-pot dinner recipes. I have to try this,
Thanks Melissa! One pot meals are the best!
This sounds perfect! I love chicken Parmesan but never make mainly because it seems unhealthy and labor intensive. I love this one pot wonder!
Thanks Bri! This version is definitely easier to make and I love that it isn’t such a heavy meal!
This reminds me of the chicken parmesan my Mom use to make! It was frozen breaded chicken in a baking dish, then covered with our favorite marinara with mozzarella on top then baked. So simple yet delicious. This is a much more grown up dinner that I will have to make ASAP!
Thanks Meg! I love the simplicity of skillet dinners and they always taste so good!
I love how you lightened up this delicious looking chicken parm up. The best part is you can make it in one pan!
Thanks Kristi! One pan meals are my favorite, less dish washing!
I’m definitely the same as you, I love chicken parmesan but it is one of those rare dishes that I make as it is often laden with unhealthy (but delicious) carbs. I love how this is a lightened up and skillet version… I have to try the recipe out!
Thanks Thalia! This lighter version is definitely a good alternative for those of us who are a little more health conscious.
Woah! This chicken parmesan looks amazing… and I feel the same way you do – about both things, love chicken parmesan, hate how fatty it is. :( Good thing we’ve got you… can’t wait to try these! Pinned :)
Awww thanks ladies, you’re the best! :-)
One of my favorite dishes! Sometimes ‘lightened up’ versions look sort of sad, but yours looks great – I wouldn’t guess by looking at the pics that it’s healthier version, which is what you want, right? Saving this one!
Thanks April! I totally agree some lighter dishes do look pathetic, thanks for the compliment on mine!
I can’t believe that’s a lightened up version – it looks even better than full fat. Nice work :-)
Thanks Nicky!
Wow! That looks great and I love how easy it is to make!!! Hooray for one dish meals!
Thanks Jocelyn! One pot meals are the BEST!
i made this recipe tonight and it was delicious!the only issue I had was that I should have used a 12 inch pan. I use the Costco organic chicken breasts and they tend to be rather large. I cut 2 in half and also trimmed the tenderloins so I didn’t have enough room and had to do 2 batches in the 10 inch skillet. Otherwise, the recipe was very easy to follow, quick and tasty I love that it was lighter than the traditional.
Thanks for trying the recipe out Debby and I’m so glad you liked it! I’m sorry the chicken didn’t quite fit in the skillet. Thank you for sharing the tip that a 12 inch skillet will work better for larger chicken breasts, I’ll go ahead and change the size in the recipe directions as I’m sure many readers use the Costco chicken as you did.
Loved this dish. Did lose some of the ‘crumb’ coating in the pan but it didn’t matter. Flavour was great. My husband and son scored this 11/10! So I guess it will be a regular for us now. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing Brenda and I’m glad you all liked it! :-)
When you say chicken ‘cutlets’, what exactly do you mean? Chicken thighs? Chicken breasts?
They’re chicken breasts that are thinner. You can do it yourself by slicing the chicken breasts in half horizontally.