5 ingredient, 10 minute magic – this ultra crispy PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN is insane! Juicy chicken on the inside, and a crazy, crunchy golden crust on the outside. Made without breadcrumbs, this is an incredible easy healthy chicken recipe.
Serve with silky cauliflower mash and a drizzle of browned butter for the ultimate gluten free, low-carb meal!
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
In case you can’t tell from the photo (really??!), this chicken recipe is all about the parmesan crust.
It’s crunchy, it’s golden, it’s packed with flavour and perfectly seasoned so other than the teeniest tiniest pinch of salt in the egg mixture, you don’t need to add any salt or other seasonings at all.
Also, no mucking around with flour either. I tried it with and without, and for shredded parmesan, it didn’t glue it on any better so I opt to skip it.
Which means this chicken recipe is 100% gluten free and a super low carb meal option.
How to make Parmesan Crusted Chicken
It’s honestly as simple as this:
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cut chicken breasts in half;
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dunk in garlicky egg;
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press on parmesan; and
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pan fry to golden crispy perfection.
Doesn’t that parmesan crust look incredible?? That colour ain’t from Photoshopping, that’s the colour it actually is. For the cynics out there – see? Evidence. Haven’t touched the saturation slider!!
This is a super quick dinner. If this is in your pan for longer than 6 minutes, you’ve overcooked the chicken. Speed is imperative here. High heat and speed! (We like speed for midweek meals, don’t we? 🙂 )
In keeping with the low-carb theme of this recipe, I opted to go for a cauliflower mash rather than my usual potato. And fancied it up with the tiniest drizzle of browned butter – just 1/2 tsp drizzled over the mash makes a world of difference because it’s so fragrant and has such an intense, rich flavour. Honestly, if you aren’t a fan of cauliflower mash, try it with browned butter and I bet you scoff it down like crazy!
Mmmm, just dream of that silky cauliflower puree paired with that crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken…. it’s the perfect bite.
LOW CARB DINNER OF CHAMPIONS!! – Nagi x
PS In case you were wondering, going low-carb was not a New Years’ Resolution. This is accidentally low-carb. 😂 Sorry to disappoint, to those who were hoping for more low-carb meals. I can try. But I cannot promise….
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 500 g / 1 lb chicken breast (2 pieces) (Note 1)
- 1 egg
- 1 garlic clove , minced (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- 125 g / 4 oz / 1 1/4 cups shredded parmesan (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp butter (or more oil)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cut each breast in half horizontally to make 4 steaks. If they are much thicker than 1.75 cm / 3/4" thick (at the thickest point), pound a bit.
- Place egg, garlic, pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk with fork.
- Place parmesan in a shallow bowl.
- Dredge chicken in egg, then place in parmesan CUT SIDE DOWN (Note 3). Press, then turn. Coat with extra parmesan, press. Shake off excess. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Melt butter and heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Place chicken in non-stick skillet (or well seasoned cast iron skillet). DO NOT MOVE chicken otherwise the cheese will slide off surface before it adheres! It adheres once it turns crispy.
- Press down lightly with spatula. Lift a corner to take a peek and turn with tongs when it's deep golden brown (3 minutes for me).
- Cook the other side for 3 minutes or until also deep golden brown and crispy (again, do not move until golden). Lightly press down with spatula. Don't cook longer than 6 minutes in total - dries out the chicken.
- Serve immediately! I served mine with lemon slices, Cauliflower Mash and a Fennel Slaw with Yoghurt Dressing (Note 5).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
This is at my favourite local coffee shop, 2KF in Mona Vale, and that’s Phil the owner. Hands down the best coffee around. The Sydney Morning Herald did a review and said “he makes Campos coffee better than Campos”! I spend a lot of time here. Responding to messages, cooking questions, creating recipe videos, thinking of the next recipe I’m going to make.
And Dozer spends a lot of time smooching with the other patrons, getting scraps and LOTS of cuddles. And occasionally he orders a puppa-cino…. (jokes. Never!)
Sensationell!
Will the parmesan stick if I only use egg yolk? I’m allergic to egg white. Thanks.
Any changes needed if chicken thighs are used instead of chicken breast? My family prefers thighs.
I cover this in Note 1 under the recipe Bernie! N x
Opps! I saw the note only after I commented! Sorry!
No problem!! N x
Hi! I’m wondering if you would know if Dairy-Free Parmesan would work with this recipe? Its so expensive so I hate experimenting… but thinking maybe it would?!
I’m sorry Elaine but I haven’t used that product before so I have no idea if it would brown up or get crispy or affect the texture! N x
Made this for dinner tonight.
Really enjoyed the crispy parmasan coated chicken and so quick and easy to make.
I just made this recipe for dinner, The prep time was only a few minutes and it did not take long to fry at high temperature in my cast iron skillet. My husband and I really liked this chicken very much and I plan to print and use this often.
I have made these now 5 times and I still love them! Thank you for creating and posting
What kind of pan are you using? I must know the brand cause I did everything you did but didn’t turn out like yours and the only thing different is the pan??
Tasty quick and easy served with salad and root veg fries.Had some end bits of cheeses so did parmesan mixed with Old Amsterdam(a hard orange extra matured Gouda) very similar to parma in texture with a good flavour and bulked it out with panko crumbs tasted great.Cheers.x
Made this tonight and my husband LOVED it!! He even went back for 2nds…which is a rarity! Super easy…definitely a keeper!
YUM!!!
Omg, that photo makes me realise just how big Dozer is! He’s bloody massive! (And gorgeous, can’t forget gorgeous, lol)
Really in need of a nonstick frying pan. What kind of frying pan is used in this video? Would this work if we bake it in the oven?
Hi Shirley, you need the hot heat of a pan here to do this, it won’t work in an oven unfortunately. This is just a cheap pan used here – any non stick pan should do the job. 🙂 N x
We all love a schnitzel/snitzel or Parma and this was great just like diving under a wave at the end of a hot day! The only thing we did differently (and I’m not sure if this is necessary but we kinda think chicken breast can go dry and chewy) so we put a decent shake of salt in a bowl, add some cold water and add the sliced chicken breasts for about half an hour in the fridge then pad dry w paper towel and they seem to stay v tender and juicy🚶♂️
Going to try this recipe (for the 2nd time) with a block of parmesan I’m grating myself, as store-bought shredded parmesan isn’t an option in my area. What is it about the store-bought shred that makes it adhere better? Is there something I can add/do to make regular shredded parmesan work better? Is it just about the size of the pieces?
(Also, awesome site Nagi — one of the first places I visit when I’m looking for something yummy to cook.)
Almost like a bring Richard – the perfect way to keep them tender! 👏 N x
I was a little skeptical to try this after I saw some people had a little difficulty with this recipe but I’m so glad I did! I made it with chicken tenderloins and flattened them with my hands first. So fast, easy, and delicious.
Wahoo, that’s awesome Karlie! N x
I meant to give this 5 stars!
Suggestions on how long before you flip the Chicken – Dont want to flip it to soon
Followed the recipe using pre-shredded packaged parm that looked exactly like yours. 14″ Lagostina pan on 8 electric. Turned out perfectly and so tasty! Thank you Nagi for everything you do. Love your website, emails, videos and of course your awesome recipes 🙂
This was really good and I like that it required ingredients I already had. Based on the comments, I did keep the temperature to medium to make sure the Parmesan stayed on and that worked.
Are there instructions for making this in the oven?
Disappointed as I followed to the letter, Parmesan cheese didn’t stick, I finished up with a soggy oily mess not crispy. 😔 only plus was that chicken was tender and tasty
Hi Robyn, sorry you had issues here – can I ask what type of parmesan you used? N x
Perfect Italiano grated parmesan from Woolies
Smashed dinner again tonight, in-laws were eyebrow-raised impressed and you now have two more referrals 😀 Nags x