Crusty Parmesan Chicken

Flavorful cheese gives this baked parmesan chicken a super flavor.

Great Flavors

There are some really great flavors in this parmesan chicken coating.

This chicken coating is a minor variation of the coating in my Italian Lemon Herb Pork Chops, but this one has more cheese and herbs.

The coating is so flavorful and crunchy this chicken is sure to be a hit with the family.

Any Chicken Parts Will Do

You can use thighs and drumsticks as I did here, or bone-in breasts.

I just have a lot of thighs and drumsticks in my freezer because they are often on sale. Curiously, bone-in breast has not been on sale for quite a long time and breast portions would be very good in this recipe.

Boneless skinless breast would work in this parmesan chicken too, but you will have to reduce the cooking time by approximately half.  Boneless skinless breast would be better suited to sauteeing because they’d cook very fast. If you plan to cook them that way, then use a meat mallet to pound them down to about 1/4-inch thickness before coating with the crumb mixture.

Parmesan Or Romano

I used Parmesan cheese in the coating, which is the classic cheese to use. However, if you want a bolder flavor, substituting the Parmesan cheese with Romano cheese is a good choice.

You might even want to experiment a bit and use Asiago cheese. That will give a very bold and distinctive flavor to the coating.

Just make sure you use a hard cheese. Softer cheeses, while tasty, may not work because they melt better.

The Recipe

Crusty Parmesan Chicken

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Author: Judith Hannemann

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs chicken parts
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbs water
• 1 cup flour
• Seasoned Bread Crumbs:
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbs dried parsley -OR- 4 tbs FRESH chopped parsley
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp basil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with the 2 tbs olive oil.
2. Beat the eggs with the 1 tbs water.
3. Mix all the seasoned bread crumb ingredients.
4. Dredge chicken as follows: Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Then dip in the egg mixture, letting excess drain back in the bowl, then coat with crumb mixture. Place chicken skin side up on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is golden brown.

3.5.3208