Chicken Parmesan with Sundried Tomato Sauce
This is an easy baked Chicken Parmesan recipe that’s perfect for date night! Chicken is coated in a parmesan breading, quickly browned in a skillet, then finished in the oven and topped with an amazing sun-dried tomato sauce!
Creating This Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Chicken Parmesan feels like home. I’ve been making it for so long that I barely remember the first time that I made it.
I know that it was sometime during college, because at one point I remember having roommates who were amazed that I could cook something so good.
And that’s when cooking when from an activity I enjoyed to a bit of an obsession.
I was lucky enough to have one other roommate who was also a very good cook (who I am so very lucky to still be in touch with on a regular basis and get to visit often – Hi, Nila!).
Somehow the two of us convinced the other 4 that we should start a meal rotation. That it made more sense for us to take turns cooking real meals each night than it did for all of us to make our separate dinners.
Cooking Light was the only food website that I really knew of back then. I would avoid homework and instead browse recipes and bookmark what I wanted to make next.
Perhaps that itself was an indication that I should have changed majors… But, who knew what a food blog was anyway?
If they even existed, they were probably so few and far between. And the word “blog” certainly was not in the average person’s vocabulary.
So I pressed on studying Psychology with a Neuroscience focus and kept on cooking in my spare time. And thought about food pretty much all the time.
So here is my recipe for what my husband and I both consider “Better Than Any Restaurant” Chicken Parmesan, originally beginning as a Cooking Light recipe, with a few adaptations through the years.
The chicken is basically the same, it’s the sauce that has had a few evolutions.
★★★★★
Erin says –
“Katie, this is INCREDIBLE. I made it for dinner and then had to go to a meeting. All through my meeting, I day dreamed about eating more of this. When I got home, I ate some cold. The next morning, I ate it for breakfast. I used the leftover sauce for pizza and it’s the best pizza sauce EVER!”
Baked Chicken Parmesan Ingredients
This is an incredibly easy baked chicken parmesan recipe, despite the pretty presentation. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Red wine
- Italian seasoning
- Bay leaf
- Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- Red bell pepper
- Fresh parsley
- Balsamic vinegar
- All-purpose flour
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Chicken breasts
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan in the Oven
This easy baked chicken parmesan recipe has a few stages to it. First, you have to make the chicken parmesan sauce (it’s a simple sun-dried tomato sauce that’s to die for!).
Then, you coat the chicken in the parmesan breading before browning it in a skillet. The entire dish is finished off in the oven for ultimate crispiness without the need to drag out a deep fryer.
- Make the tomato sauce for the chicken parmesan: All of the ingredients are added to a pot, then left to simmer for roughly 15 minutes. Don’t try to rush this step, the simmering is what helps the sauce develop a rich flavor.
- Prep the chicken: Combine the flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or plate with a rim.
- Place chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Using a meat mallet, pound meat on both sides until it is flattened to 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.
- Coat each piece of chicken in egg white, then dip both sides into the in parmesan mixture.
- Brown the chicken: In a cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces to the pan, cooking until golden.
- Add chicken to a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan.
- Pour a large spoonful of sauce on top of each breast, then top with mozzarella.
- Bake the chicken: Bake until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
How Long to Bake Chicken Parmesan?
After browning the chicken in a skillet (roughly 5 minutes per side), it will need to bake at 350ºF for 5 to 10 minutes to finish it off.
What Pasta Goes with Chicken Parmesan?
I recommend using a long, skinny pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine. The longer noodles are easier to coat in the chicken parmesan sauce, and they can be slurped up with the pieces of chicken!
What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan
Not sure what goes well with chicken parmesan? Here are some sugggestions for side dishes for chicken parmesan:
- Italian Mixed Greens Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Lemon Roasted Broccolini
- Rosemary Garlic Bread
- Honey Balsamic Carrots
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
5 Star Chicken Parmesan
★★★★★
Sarah Jo says –
“I wanted to tell you that I made this last night, with a few small changes, and it was incredible.”
★★★★★
Dominique says –
“An absolute stunner! I made it a few weeks ago, and I was speechless over how good it was 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!”
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Chicken Parmesan with Sundried Tomato Sauce
In this easy baked Chicken Parmesan, chicken is coated in a parmesan breading, browned in a skillet, then finished in the oven with a sun-dried tomato sauce!
Ingredients
Sundried Tomato Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (4 ounce) jar tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1-2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning (in summer I use a handful of fresh basil added at the end)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced*
- 1 heaping cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 3/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or according to taste preferences
For the Chicken:
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired
- 4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- Add the olive oil to a large saucepan or dutch oven and heat over medium-high.
- Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add garlic and saute a minute more.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and whisk to combine with the tomato paste.
- Stir in the diced and crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the sundried tomatoes and bell pepper.
- Simmer until pepper is tender.
- Stir in parsley, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper (if desired).
- Discard bay leaf.
For the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine the flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or plate with a rim.
- Place chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag.
- Using a meat mallet, pound meat on both sides until it is flattened to 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch. (Some are easier to flatten than others. If they are really thick, I will cut them in half through the middle into to thinner breasts).
- Coat each piece of chicken egg white, then dip both sides into the in parmesan mixture.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces to the pan, cooking cook 5 minutes per side - or until golden.
- Add chicken to a lightly greased 9x13 pan.
- Pour a large spoonful of sauce on top of each breast, then top with mozzarella.
- Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.
- Serve with pasta and additional sauce.
Notes
*I like to buy the kind in oil that are julienne sliced. Purchase a large jar at Costco. Before using in dishes, I rinse excess oil off.
adapted from Champion Chicken Parmesan
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 484Total Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 50g
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Sarah Jo says
I wanted to tell you that I made this last night, with a few small changes, and it was incredible. I wanted to do a blog about it and link back to your blog but I wanted to ask for permission first. My email is in this comment, let me know when you can if that’s alright with you. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Katie says
As long as you are not using my photos, recipe is credited appropriately (adapted from GoodLife Eats & linked to original recipe), and the instructions are rewritten in your own words it is fine with me if you choose to repost a recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
Dominique says
An absolute stunner! I made it a few weeks ago, and I was speechless over how good it was 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Erin says
Katie, this is INCREDIBLE. I made it for dinner and then had to go to a meeting. All through my meeting, I day dreamed about eating more of this. When I got home, I ate some cold. The next morning, I ate it for breakfast. I used the leftover sauce for pizza and it’s the best pizza sauce EVER!
Katie says
Nothing like replying 9 months later…but I made this last week and came to look up the post and was reminded of your comment. So glad you liked it Erin! 🙂
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says
I have to smile reading your story about cooking for your roommates! I lived with 3 roommates in an apartment in college, and we had a rotation, too… I wasn’t much of a cook then, though. Though, I did make some mean tacos. 🙂
Love the look of this chicken parm. It’s my hubby’s favorite food in the world, and I rarely make it. I’ll have to make this for him very soon!
Peggy says
I haven’t had chicken Parmesan in soooo long! This looks and sounds absolutely incredible! Definitely going to make this soon!
Mei Teng says
Delicious! 🙂
Carrie says
That sauce sounds absolutely divine!
Cubicle says
This recipe looks great! I like the idea of using a sun-dried tomato sauce instead of your typical marinara sauce. Sounds like a good recipe to try this weekend!
Debs @ Acquiredish says
Yum, sounds delicious.
Thanks for sharing.
star says
Another beautiful looking dish (that’s why I love this blog 😉 ). I think I’ll serve it with some rice noodles.
Sharlene says
There’s definitely something very comforting and “home-y” about chicken parm. Yum!