Here’s an easy weeknight chicken parmesan recipe that can be made and on your table in under 30 minutes, and the added bonus is that it can all be done in your cast iron skillet, making clean up a cinch! It’s also flour-less and egg-less and gluten-free to boot! My foodie friend Amanda kept telling me that I needed to try this recipe. I already had my favorite chicken parmesan recipe that was passed down from my mom, so I was a bit hesitant to try a new one. I then remembered that I have a recipe blog, and my readers may want some variety, so I gave it a try. I’m so glad that I did because it was fantastic and John and the kids gave it a double thumbs up. I gave it a thumbs up due to taste as well as ease. I still love my classic chicken parmesan because I love the crunchy bread coating, but I love this one just as much, so bonus!
This is basically another pantry meal. Most of the herbs I either had in my backyard or in the fridge, I had some leftover tomato sauce, and I always have cheese on hand, so all I needed to pick up was the chicken breasts. I really love easy meals that I can throw together at the last-minute. It’s just helpful to have an arsenal of those easy pantry recipes on the nights when you’re pulling out your hair wondering what to make.
So, I know you all were anticipating the turkey meatballs recipe today, but ever since I posted this photo on my weekly dinner menu, I’ve had numerous emails asking me to please post this recipe soon. I then decided to be nice and post it today instead of making you wait one more week. I figure the meatballs will be perfect for next week’s Super Bowl as they make a great meatball sub.
easy skillet chicken parmesan
recipe from Giada De Laurentis
serves 4
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh italian parsley – I used flat leaf parsley
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise and lightly pounded
- 1 1/2 cups basic tomato sauce, or your favorite tomato or marina sauce
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese – We like our cheese, so we used 3/4 cup
- 1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces – The recipe called for 2 tablespoons but I used about 1 1/2
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Let’s prep the ingredients. Prep your chicken, measure out your cheeses, measure out your sauce, cut up your butter and rinse and chop up the rosemary, thyme and italian parsley. In a small bowl add the 3 tablespoons olive oil and then mix in the chopped herbs along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Get out your chicken and brush each side with the olive oil and herb mixture.
Heat a heavy large oven-proof skillet (I used my 12-inch cast iron) over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. This step may take longer if your breasts are a bit thicker.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon the tomato sauce over and around the chicken.
Top each breast with a bit of mozzarella. Then sprinkle each breast with some shredded or grated parmesan cheese. It’s really an individual preference here with how much cheese you want to add. We like cheese as you know, so we tend to go a bit on the heavier side.
Sprinkle the butter pieces over the chicken breasts.
Pop the skillet into the oven and bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. The timing will vary on this as well depending on how thick your chicken is. You really just want to make sure that the chicken is cooked through. I always use a meat thermometer to test my chicken, as I will not eat undercooked chicken.
If you want your cheese a bit browned on top, pop it under the broiler for a minute or two until you see the cheese brown up.
Serve this up with some crispy garlic bread and a nice big salad.
We love it served alongside my lacinato kale salad.
Feel free to play with this recipe to suit your dietary needs, add less cheese and butter if you want a healthier or lighter version.
Three cheers for another easy weeknight meal!
For a more traditional chicken parmesan recipe, try my old school version.
Like chicken? Here are a few of our favorite chicken recipes.
The best oven baked crispy chicken.
Rosemary skillet chicken. 
Citrus marinated chicken.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh italian parsley - I used flat leaf parsley
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise and lightly pounded
- 1½ cups basic tomato sauce, or your favorite tomato or marina sauce
- ½ to ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese - We like our cheese, so we used ¾ cup
- ½ cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces - The recipe called for 2 tablespoons but I used about 1½
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Let's prep the ingredients. Prep your chicken, measure out your cheeses, measure out your sauce, cut up your butter and rinse and chop up the rosemary, thyme and italian parsley. In a small bowl add the 3 tablespoons olive oil and then mix in the chopped herbs along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Get out your chicken and brush each side with the olive oil and herb mixture.
- Heat a heavy large oven-proof skillet (I used my 12-inch cast iron) over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. This step may take longer if your breasts are a bit thicker.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon the tomato sauce over and around the chicken.
- Top each breast with a bit of mozzarella. Then sprinkle each breast with some shredded or grated parmesan cheese. It's really an individual preference here with how much cheese you want to add. We like cheese as you know, so we tend to go a bit on the heavier side.
- Sprinkle the butter pieces over the chicken breasts.
- Pop the skillet into the oven and bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. The timing will vary on this as well depending on how thick your chicken is. You really just want to make sure that the chicken is cooked through. I always use a meat thermometer to test my chicken, as I will not eat undercooked chicken.
- If you want your cheese a bit browned on top, pop it under the broiler for a minute or two until you see the cheese brown up.
- Serve this up with some crispy garlic bread and a nice big salad. We love it served alongside my lacinato kale salad.
I made this Chicken Parmesan recipe tonight. It was delicious, my husband and I both loved it. I wish I could attach a picture, will definitely make this again! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome Nancy! I wish I could see a photo of your chicken parm too! If you have one, send it over! I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband loved this recipe! My kids have been asking for it lately, but I have to wait for cooler weather, as it’s been in the high 90’s for the past 2 weeks! Definitely not chicken parmesan weather 🙂 Anyway, thanks for stopping by and saying hi! I hope you find some other recipes on the blog that you love just as much! xoxo, Jacquelyn
Just made this tonight shredded up some swim with mozzarella fried up some onions to add before sauce it was fantastic served with steamed rice
Hi Rich! Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that you loved this dish! It’s one of our my faves! xoxo, Jacquelyn
Made this last night for the family after a difficult day for my wife. She’s happy, kids are happy, and I’m a hero. Thanks a lot.
Great news Mark! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a success with the family and that it made you a hero for the evening. It was a win win! xoxo, Jackie
I saw this on your instagram feed the other day and have been thinking about it ever since. I finally came over to take a look at the recipe. It looks so simple and I love that I have most of the ingredients already…just need to get chicken. I have never tried chicken parm that is not breaded, so I’m looking forward to this one!
You will love it girl! It’s so easy and you won’t miss the breading at all. I thought I would becuase I love my traditional chicken parm, but this one is amazing!
Holy yum! I’m eating this right now, and it is soooo tasty! This will definitely be made again in my house. 🙂
Awesome girl! I’m so glad that you made it and are loving it 🙂 Whoo hoooo!!!
This recipe looks amazing, and I love that it is a one pan dish. Cast iron is so easy to clean! I was always told not to use tomato sauce in my cast iron pans, that the acid would disolve the seasoning coating and the sauce might taste funny or metallic. I’m assuming you haven’t had any problems but could you confirm?
Hi Molly! To be honest, I’ve never heard anything about the cast iron pan’s coating being affected by tomato sauce, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not true. All I know is that I didn’t notice any metallic aftertaste and my cast iron pan seems to working perfectly. I always rinse my pan under hot water after I use it and then let it dry out over ultra low heat, and then when it cools a bit I rub it with some oil. I’m not a cast iron pan expert at all. I just do those steps and both mine seem to work great! I hope that helps! xoxo, Jackie
Hey Jackie! Catching up on your blog this morning:) Amanda told me about this dish a while ago and I finally put it on my weekly menu for Monday, then low and behold I see your post! Love your photos, your dish looked way better than mine. The vita mix changes the color of tomato sauce to a much paler red, must be the high velocity of the machine? It was still tasty and the family loved it! I paired it with your garlic bread recipe which I had never made before and it was a hit. I told myself ahead of time that I was only going to have one piece but I caved and had two. I saw your meatball recipe and that looks like a winner. I’ve been making Ina Garten’s Spicy Turkey Meatballs but it calls for, not only turkey, but pork sausage and prosciutto so I like the idea of only using the turkey. I’ll put that on next week’s menu for sure!
Hey Carolyn! We’re so missing the Jensen clan. When are you coming back to Marin? Amanda is seriously the queen of new recipes. She is trying a new one everyday. I don’t know how she does it. She told me about this 5x before I finally made it as well. Her family and my family eat pretty similarly, so I know if her family raves about a dish, then I should try it. I didn’t make the actual sauce that Giada showed with the original recipe. I used my basic tomato sauce. Did you use her sauce for the recipe? I know that when I puree my basic tomato sauce in the vitamix, it stays pretty red, not as robust red as the tomatoes are when they’re whole, but a nice pretty red. I love Ina’s meatballs, but I like this one as well because you don’t have to get all the different meats, so it’s a bit easier that way. These are not going to give you that same flavor though. They are less robust than a meatball that has pork sausage and prosciutto. Let me know what you think when you try them 🙂
Thanks Mary!
So perfect for my family~ bookmarked (the photos are marvellous!)
Mary x
yeah! i was waiting and hoping for this recipe too! my hubby loves chicken parmesan so i can’t wait to make your recipe for him. and i love any chance i can get to use my cast iron skillet…the seasoned chicken breasts sitting under that sauce! yum. then the cheese…yeah our family loves loves cheese too so mine will be at the 3/4-1 cup mark. lol and meatball subs for football that does sound like a perfect combo! have a wonderful day! angela
Love that you’re a cheesy loving family as well Angela. Maybe that didn’t sound good, but you get my meaning. Cheese is the one thing that I just couldn’t give up. You’re going to love the ease of this dish girlfriend 🙂
YAY! I was waiting for this recipe! Can’t wait to try it. I wonder why the butter on top of the cheese though? Not that I’m opposed to butter! I love it! But just curious of its purpose… more flavor? to help the chicken and cheese brown?
Thanks for the comment on my skillet pizza! Give it a try in the broiler! So quick and easy.
Hey Michelle! I don’t exactly know why the recipe calls for butter? I think it helps to keep the chicken moist and add some flavor to the sauce, but that’s just my guess.
I can’t wait to try your skillet pizza broiler idea. What a time saver 🙂
That looks DELICIOUS! I also have a go to recipe that has a crispy coating, but I love trying new recipes so this one is definitely one I’ll have to try for my family. Your photos make me want to try it right now! I love easy weeknight meals so maybe this is something I’ll make tomorrow. That would work out great. Hope you have a great day! Sent you an email back about the pics you sent me. loved them! xoxo, Sharon
Go for it Sharon! It took me months to finally try this recipe. I was all set with my classic chicken parm dish, but I tell you this is so much easier to throw together and I love that it’s not as messy and the clean up is cinch. Make it tomorrow, your boys will LOVE it 🙂 xoxo, Jackie
Jackie,
Your chicken parm looks better than any I’ve had… anywhere. Yum…love the step by step photos.
annie
Thanks so much for the sweet comment Annie 🙂
I am in for this dinner, especially the Lacinato kale salad! My husband suddenly decided to stop eating meat for now, he said he ad too much of it during the holidays. So now I have to cook something different for our teenager, who still enjoys meat very much, and us (we don’t eat meat that often). I am having a lot of fun in the kitchen! 🙂 And while I can have a simple kale salad with some grains and be happy with it, my husband needs “comfort food” as he puts it. 🙂
I’m the same way as you Marina. I could be happy with veggie burgers, kale salads, soups and quinoa cakes, but my family loves meat and pasta! I compromise with them by making 2-3 meat-less meals a week. Your teenager needs the meat and I bet he is eating you out of house and home! I remember how much I ate as a teenager. I ate at least 2 dinners a night! I’m just enjoying the smaller portions until the kids hit that age 🙂
Oh, eating is my biggest problem with my teenager (who knew!). I have to trick him, negotiate, sometimes even “bribe” him so he would eat good food. Teenagers are not an easy crowd to please! 🙂