This easy chicken recipe goes together quickly for a perfect weeknight meal that the whole family will love. Bake it or use the air fryer - instructions included for both.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Crispy outside, tender & juicy inside
- It's baked instead of fried
- Easy enough for every day & fancy enough for the mother-in-law
Baked garlic Parmesan chicken is one of my favorites. That crunchy breadcrumb coating flavored with Italian herbs and Parmesan is just mouthwatering!
It's one of those easy dinner recipes the entire family loves!
🧾 Ingredients
You can use plain salt and pepper instead of seasoning salt if you prefer. I like the panko type breadcrumbs but plain breadcrumbs are fine.
🔪 Instructions
These are a quick version of the oven instructions. The air fryer instructions are in the green recipe card below.
Step 1
- Butterfly the chicken breast (see video) by slicing through horizontally to create 2 thin pieces.
- Mix the buttermilk and the hot sauce in a large bowl.
- Put the chicken in and let stand for 10 minutes.
Step 2
- Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, pepper, and seasoned salt.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and pat gently with paper towel.
- Dredge chicken in the breadcrumbs to cover.
Step 3
- Melt butter in the baking dish while the oven is preheating.
- Place the breaded chicken in the dish.
- Drizzle with melted butter mixture.
- Tent with foil and bake.
Step 4
- After about 25 minutes remove from the oven.
- Remove the foil.
- Flip over and bake the other side for 10-15 minutes or until done.
🎥 Video
🥫 Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Crisp the garlic Parmesan chicken back up in a 350 degree oven just until warmed through and crispy.
This main dish does not freeze well.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Don't leave the chicken in the buttermilk for more than an hour - the meat will start to break down.
- The cheap, grated Parmesan in the green container works perfectly - you don't need the fancy stuff.
- For even more garlicky flavor use Italian dressing rather than buttermilk for marinating. Everything else is the same.
- You can add 1-½ teaspoons of garlic powder to the breadcrumb mixture for more garlic flavor.
- If you don't have time to marinate in the buttermilk mixture just use the mixture to dip the chicken in before rolling in the crumbs.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
Yes, see the instructions in the recipe card.
Yes, they work perfectly!
Mashed potatoes, pasta in a garlic butter sauce with fresh basil, or rice are all great options for this easy recipe. Garlic bread is always right, of course!
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📞 The last word
Here's my experience...
The first time I made this garlic Parmesan chicken recipe I was totally unimpressed. The recipe I followed resulted in soggy crumbs and tasteless meat. So I worked with it because I thought it had potential.
- Taste the breading mixture before you start. If it doesn't taste like it has enough seasoning add a little more.
- If you drizzle too much butter on it the crumbs will be soggy and not brown. If this happens just add some more crumbs, press into the chicken, and run it under a broiler until golden.
- Or salvage it by adding a layer of marinara sauce topped with Mozzarella cheese. Melt the cheese under the broiler.
- I like to kick up the heat in the oven to 425F the last 10 minutes of baking time because it helps the crust get crisp. If you do this you MUST watch it carefully or it will burn.
- Sprinkle smoked paprika over the chicken just before serving. It gives it a smoky flavor and it's pretty.
This is one of my favorite chicken recipes - the crunchy bread crumb coating just makes it extra delicious. I love it for busy weeknights.
📖 Recipe
Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
- ¼ cup butter
Breading
- ½ cup bread crumbs, Italian style or Panko are best
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, sprinkle on chicken just before serving
Buttermilk Dip
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
Butter Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Step one: butterfly the chicken
- Place the chicken breasts on a plastic cutting board.
- Hold in place firmly with your hand flat and slice through the chicken horizontally to butterfly it. Separate the two halves.
Step two: marinade
- Mix the buttermilk and the hot sauce together in a baking dish.
- Add the chicken and turn to coat.
- Marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
Step three: breading
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the ¼ cup butter in a 9x13 pan. Put it in the oven while the oven heats.
- Remove the pan with the melted butter in it from the oven.
- In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, and pepper.
- Take one piece of chicken out of the buttermilk. Let the excess drip off.
- Put into the breadcrumb mixture. Flip to coat both sides.
- Place chicken in the baking dish with the melted butter.
Step four: lemon butter drizzle
- .Melt the remaining butter in a microwave safe bowl with the minced garlic.
- Add the lemon juice and stir to blend.
- Drizzle carefully over the chicken breast - just a little!
Step five: bake
- Tent the pan loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven.
- Remove aluminum foil and carefully flip the chicken pieces.
- Return to the oven and turn the heat up to 425F. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken registers 160F on an insta-read thermometer. Watch carefully so the crumbs don't burn.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. The temperature of the chicken will continue to rise to 165F.
- Sprinkle with smoked paprika and serve.
AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS
- Follow the instructions about through the drizzle.
- Place in an air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 375F for 6 minutes.
- Hit pause and remove the basket.
- Flip the chicken over. Sprinkle on a little more of the crumb mixture.
- Reduce heat to 350F and air fry for about 4 more minutes.
- Chicken is done when it reads 160F on an insta-read thermometer.
- Let sit for 5 minutes, sprinkle with smoked paprika, and serve.
Notes
- The cheap, grated Parmesan in the green container works perfectly - you don't need the fancy stuff.
- For even more garlicky flavor marinate the chicken in Italian dressing rather than buttermilk. Everything else is the same.
- You can add 1-½ teaspoons of garlic powder to the breadcrumb mixture for more garlic flavor.
- If you don't have time to marinate the chicken in the buttermilk mixture just use the mixture to dip the chicken in before rolling in the crumbs.
- Taste the breading mixture before you start adding the chicken. If it doesn't taste like it has seasoning add a little more.
- If you drizzle too much butter on it the crumbs will be soggy and not brown. If this happens just add some more crumbs, press into the chicken, and run it under a broiler until golden.
- Or salvage it by adding a layer of marinara sauce topped with Mozzarella cheese. Melt the cheese under the broiler.
- I like to kick up the heat in the oven to 425F the last 10 minutes of baking time because it helps the crust get crisp. If you do this you MUST watch it carefully or it will burn.
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