Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This perfectly crispy Parmesan-crusted chicken recipe is an easy dinner made in just 15 minutes. Chicken is coated with mayo for extra moist chicken, breaded with parmesan, and pan-fried. Find out an easy two-step process to coat the chicken breast without messy fingers and get the crispiest breading.

Chicken breast coated with a seasoned parmesan breading and pan fried until crispy.

Crispy Golden Parmesan-crusted chicken is a quick and easy way to get juicy pan-fried chicken for dinner, but it is also way more flavorful. Boneless chicken breast is first coated with Mayonnaise and then breaded with parmesan cheese. It is pan-fried until cooked through, and the crust turns nice and crispy golden brown.

If you love parmesan and chicken together, then you must give this delectable Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken a try.

Why this recipe is a winner?

Thanks to parmesan cheese, the bland chicken breast gets a flavourful golden crust. But this parmesan chicken really stands out because

Unlike the regular breading technique, which could be really cumbersome and messy, this recipe calls for a quick 2-step breading technique. It makes the entire process easy and quick.
The chicken is seasoned twice, once in the wet mayo coating with a dash of sriracha. Then seasoning the parmesan breadcrumb. So the chicken you get is really well seasoned.

Ingredients For the Recipe

The parmesan-crusted chicken recipe calls for a handful of ingredients, and most of them are pantry staples.

Boneless skinless Chicken breast – makes for quick cooking, as breast pieces take just a few minutes. You may also go with chicken thighs, but allocate more time for them to cook. You will have to reduce the heat to avoid letting the crust burn while the thighs cook.
Mayonnaise – rich mayo as a marinade helps to keep the chicken moist. Also thick mayo helps the dry parmesan mixture to stick well.
Sriracha, or Hot sauce – adds some heat and complex flavor to the creamy mayo.
Flour – is mixed with mayo and makes the wet coating thick.
Parmesan cheese – the savory and umami taste makes a flavorful breading.
Italian seasoning – enhances the flavor profile of the breaded parmesan.
Breadcrumb- Use fine bread crumb, instead of panko as it sticks better and evenly to the chicken.

Ingredients for Parmesan Crusted Chicken - Chicken breast, mayo, parmesan, breadcrumb, seasoning.

You could use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in the seasoning if you wish.

Easy 2-Step Breading

Chicken breast is idealy coated with flour, followed by egg wash and then dredged in breadcrumb for a crispy coating, its flour->egg->breadcrumbs. The egg wash acts as a binder; the coating of it on the chicken helps the breadcrumbs stick to the surface. But it also means you are left with messy hands, dirty kitchen counter and multiple dirty dishes

We are combining and making it a 2 step process. Mayo+ flour – > parmesan+breadcrumb. Mayo does a couple of things here: it not only binds the grated parmesan but also rich mayo helps keep chicken extra moist. Adding few teaspoons of flour to mayo, makes the wet mix thick and helps parmesan mix stick better.

Parmesan cheese along with fine breadcrumb coats chicken evenly. While offering a crispy crust on top, it has a savory and umami taste that is so much better.

Steps to Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Prepare Chicken: You need Boneless chicken breast. If it’s too thick, cut it horizontally into cutlets. This is to ensure uniform cooking.
Mayonnaise coating: Recipes in general call for egg coating. I have tried both egg and mayo coatings. Though egg coating works, I found a coating of mayo gives extra richness and keeps the chicken super moist. I have added a dash of Sriracha to the mayo for an extra kick. If you are following Keto, use keto-friendly Mayonnaise.

Pound chicken and coat well with mayo, flour and sriracha.

Coat with parmesan: For the cheese to stick well, use grated cheese rather than shredded. You could use a zester or fine grater to grate the cheese. Add some Italian seasoning to the cheese for some flavor.

Coat chicken with seasoned parmesan breadcrumb mix.

Recipe Tips

Boneless chicken breast is notorious for easily getting overcooked and drying out. Pounding it to even thickness is one of the ways to cook it evenly and keep it moist.
I always prefer freshly grated parmesan. Bottled parmesan cheese has anticaking agents and doesn’t work great for pasta and sauces. But it will work well in this recipe and also is a cheaper option.
Use a well seasoned cast iron or a nonstick skillet to prevent the chicken from sticking.