The best gluten free chicken parmigiana! Crispy, tender, breaded chicken, delicious sauce, and bubbling cheese doesn’t get any better than this.
This Italian-American classic can be enjoyed using gluten free ingredients! Yay. Chicken parmigiana is a huge favorite with my family. Follow this step by step tutorial, and it’s sure to be a hit at your table too.
You can call this dish chicken parm, chicken parmesan, or chicken parmigiana. All these names refer to the same delicious dish.
No matter what you call this dish, I think the secret to delicious chicken parmigiana is definitely the sauce!
You can make a homemade sauce or you can use your favorite gluten free sauce from a jar. Prego says it is gluten free right on the label.
Ready to make gluten free chicken parmigiana? There are lots of cooking tips here so your chicken parm turns out amazing.
Here we go.
Ingredients
• 2 pounds of thin-sliced chicken
• 1/2 cup of gluten free all purpose flour
• 1 cup of gluten free bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• an egg
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups of gluten free marinara sauce
• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• and chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
*Free printable recipe card is available at the end of the post.
To begin, I recommend pounding each chicken breast with a meat tenderizer because this cut can have a tendency to be a little tough. However, a few whacks with the mallet softens the fibers of the chicken, and your chicken will turn out nice and tender.
Okay. Now we need to bread the chicken.
What is the order of breading chicken?
First, rinse and pat the chicken dry. Patting the chicken dry is important because your flour cannot stick to damp chicken.
Arrange three wide shallow bowls on the counter. Add flour to the first bowl. Then whisk together egg, salt, and milk in the second bowl. Combine your gluten free bread crumbs and parmesan in the third wide, shallow bowl. (I use aged Parmigiano Reggiano.)
Now follow three steps to bread your chicken. First, dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off excess. (Shaking off the excess flour is key to getting your breading to stick.) Next, run the chicken through the egg mixture to coat it lightly and hold the chicken over the liquid to let any excess fall back into the bowl. Then coat with the breadcrumb mixture.
Fry your chicken
Finally, heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat until shimmery and fragrant but not smoking. Add the breaded chicken and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Then drain chicken on a plate on top of paper towels.
Assemble chicken parmigiana on a baking sheet
Now you’re ready to assemble your chicken parmigiana. Lightly oil a shallow baking sheet and spoon some of your marinara sauce into the pan. Arrange the chicken cutlets over the sauce. Then spoon more sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan and top with mozzarella.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350℉. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until it’s heated through and the mozzarella cheese has melted. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
Pro tips and recipe notes
- I recommend pounding each chicken breast with a meat tenderizer because this cut can have a tendency to be a little tough. However, a few whacks with the mallet softens the fibers of the chicken, and your chicken will turn out nice and tender.
- Fry your chicken in batches so as not to crowd the pan. If there is not enough room in the pan, the chicken will steam instead of getting nicely browned, flavorful, and crispy.
- I used shredded organic mozzarella in this recipe. You can use sliced mozzarella if you prefer.
- I use this baking sheet because it has 1-inch sides to accommodate the sauce on the bottom of the pan.
- If you’re going to make my homemade quick easy marinara sauce, do that an hour before starting your chicken parmigiana and simmer it on the back burner of your stove.
-
Can chicken parmigiana be made low carb?
Excellent question. Since I’m following a low carb diet, I simply skip the breading and frying steps.
I pound a few slices of chicken to tenderize them and cook them in a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. These few slices can be topped with sauce and cheese and baked along with the rest of the chicken.
So whether you’re reducing carbs because you want to lower your insulin response or trying to lose those extra pounds still left over from the holidays, you can enjoy this super delicious chicken parmigiana along with everyone else.
Whenever I make chicken parmigiana, I hear rave reviews like, “Thanks, Mom, this is sooo good” and “When can we have this again?” I’m sure your family will love it too!
If you have any questions, please reach out to me in the comments or shoot me an email, and I’ll respond ASAP.
Make this tonight. You’re going to love it. Buon appetito! Have a happy and healthy week!
More recipes you’ll love
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Gluten Free Spaghetti with Clam Sauce
Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole
Gluten Free Traditional Meatballs
Gluten Free Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients
- 2 pounds thin-sliced chicken
- 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs I use Ian's Panko bread crumbs for crunchy breading. You can use Schar bread crumbs if you prefer.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free marinara sauce homemade or store bought
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry chicken. Add flour to a shallow bowl. Whisk together egg, salt, and milk in another bowl. Combine gluten free bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of the parmesan in a wide, shallow bowl.
- Coat the chicken with the flour and shake off excess. Dip in the egg mixture and then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Heat oil in a heavy 10-12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmery and fragrant, but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 2 minutes on each side, adding more oil if necessary. Drain chicken on a plate on top of paper towels.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly oil your baking sheet and spoon 1/2 cup of homemade marinara sauce into the pan. Arrange the chicken cutlets over the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan and top with mozzarella. Bake until heated through, 20 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
Notes
- If you’re going to make my homemade quick easy marinara sauce, do that an hour before starting your chicken parmigiana and simmer it on the back burner of your stove.
- I recommend pounding each chicken breast with a meat tenderizer because this cut can have a tendency to be a little tough. However, a few whacks with the mallet softens the fibers of the chicken, and your chicken will turn out nice and tender.
- I used shredded organic mozzarella in this recipe. You can use sliced mozzarella if you prefer.
- Fry your chicken in batches so as not to crowd the pan. If there is not enough room in the pan, the chicken will steam instead of getting nicely browned, flavorful, and crispy.
- I use this baking sheet because it has 1-inch sides to accommodate the sauce on the bottom of the pan.
-
Can chicken parmigiana be made low carb?
Excellent question. Since I'm following a low carb diet, I simply skip the breading and frying steps. I pound a few slices of chicken to tenderize them and cook them in a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. These few slices can be topped with sauce and cheese and baked along with the rest of the chicken. So whether you’re reducing carbs because you want to lower your insulin response or trying to lose those extra pounds still left over from the holidays, you can enjoy this super delicious chicken parmigiana along with everyone else.
Nutrition
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JNB says
Excellent recipe. My DW made it for our family and it was great. Thanks.