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, serve it with silky cauliflower mash and a drizzle of browned butter for the ultimate gluten free, low-carb meal!
The great thing about doing “this” as a full time job means I don’t have a boss, so I can wake up and decide on a whim that I’m going to sloth around in my PJ’s all day, binge watch Netflix and have popcorn for morning tea. The bad thing about being your own boss is that when you have Man-Flu* and literally don’t have the strength to reach out of bed and hit Publish on a recipe that’s already written up and ready to go, then a post gets skipped.
I swore I’d never be one of those bloggers who would use my website to weep and moan about waking up with headaches, and I swear I’m not doing that nor looking for condolences of any sort because seriously, WHO gets a cold in the middle of summer???? It’s ridiculous. 🙄 And such a waste of time. That’s what being sick is. A waste of time!!!
* Official definition of Man-Flu (noun):
a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms.
**She ducks as all male readers chuck rotten tomatoes at her.**
So, this Parmesan Crusted Chicken is the recipe I had written up and ready to go on Monday. And of course, all the words I’d written were along the lines of things like “what a way to start the week!” and “How was your weekend??”, so I had to rewrite it all. 🙄 Not that I’m complaining. I make, shoot and film recipes weeks, sometimes months ahead of publishing. But I like keeping the commentary live.
So in case you can’t tell from the photos (really?? surely!!!), this recipe is all about that 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 (the glue), 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 is 100% gluten free.
It’s honestly as simple as this – split chicken breasts in half. Dunk in garlicky egg, press on parmesan, 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….
PPS Also in case you are wondering, no, I have never woken up and decided to sloth around in PJ’s all day instead of working. Nor could I sit on the sofa all day and watch TV. I can barely make it through a single movie without getting all fidgety!
This ultra crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken is 5 ingredient, 10 minute magic that happens to be gluten free. The idea with this recipe is that shredded parmesan melts, tuns golden and adheres to the chicken, forming a crust. Parmesan has such an intense flavour that you don't need any other seasonings in this. It tastes like schnitzel, but the coating flavour is far stronger and crunchier (but no carbs!) but is not as thick as a traditional breadcrumb coating. Serve it with cauliflower mash with browned butter for the ultimate low-carb meal! Recipe VIDEO below.
- 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
-
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 with Browned Butter (Note 4) and a Fennel Slaw with Yoghurt Dressing (Note 5).
*** Also don't miss: Baked Parmesan Crusted Potatoes and Cauliflower! ***
1. This recipe won't work as well with thigh or other chicken cuts because you need a relatively large flat surface area for the parmesan to adhere to. Even tenderloin won't work as well.
It will work with other meat cuts with flat surfaces, like chops and steaks as long as they will cook in about 6 - 8 minutes, the time it takes for the parmesan to turn golden brown and crispy.
2. This recipe needs to be made with store bought shredded parmesan, the thin strands pictured in the post and video. It doesn't work as well with the sandy parmesan (crust not as thick), nor parmesan that's been finely grated or grated using a standard box-grater. The store bought shredded parmesan is perfect because it adheres enough to the chicken and it melts which is what makes it super crunchy.
However, in contrast, baked Parmesan Crusted Potatoes and Cauliflower, the sandy parmesan works best. (And no, baking the chicken doesn't work, I tried, the juices prevent the parmesan from going crisp).
3. The cut side of the breast is the side that gets the best crust because it is flat. So this is the side we want to press extra parmesan on!
4. Cauliflower Mash with Browned Butter: Boil cauliflower florets in loads of water for 5 - 8 minutes until soft, then drain and leave to steam dry a bit. Whizz florets with a bit of milk (or cream!) and butter until desired consistency achieved - I made mine like a puree. Season with salt and pepper. For browned butter, melt 50g / 1/4 cup butter in a silver or white saucepan over medium high heat, it will foam then turn brown and suddenly smelly nutty. Take it off the stove immediately, pour into a bowl, leaving behind the black bits on the bottom. Drizzle about 1/2 - 1 tsp on each serving of cauliflower mash.
5. Simple Fennel Slaw with Yoghurt Dressing: Nice and fresh contrast to the strong parmesan crust flavour! Just shaved fennel, some fennel fronds + finely sliced red onion. For dressing, mix plain yoghurt, lemon juice, bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss fennel in dressing.
6. Nutrition per serving. This takes into account that there will be about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese leftover / falls off and 1 1/2 tbsp of oil / butter left in the skillet (I measured!)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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!)
I loved this recipe, however, next time I must use a non stick pan. All the cheeses stuck to the pan, it was still cheesy but not as cheesy as I would’ve like it.
Yes yes YES to non stick pan it’s a must!
Definitely gonna try this soon.. looks yummy- both the video and the pics…thank you for sharing…
– a beginner cook…
I loved this! I missed the note about sandy and just used a regular shredded parmesan cheese packet, and it still came out great! It was amazingly good. I don’t write review but this was so simple quick and taste amazing! Great!
What kind of pan are you using in the video to make that chicken?
A non stick one! 🙂
Hi Nagi, The crispy parm crusted chicken has become my daughters favorite chicken. We also love the Honey mustard baked chicken. I made it with thighs and its sooo good. I love the way you explain everything . thank you! So glad I found you’re site.
That’s great to hear Lynda! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
Can you try this with Salmon?
Just wondering whether you could make a double batch and freeze some of the chicken, uncooked, for a later date!
Hi Nagi! That cauliflower mash looks amazing; do you have a recipe for that one too somewhere? 🙂
Hi Lara! It’s in Note 4 🙂 N x
First, what is “sandy” Parmesan cheese? Second, any recommendations for making this recipe using a stainless steel skillet? I don’t trust or use non-stick pans.
Hi Paul! It’s finely grated parmesan sold at the stores that has the texture of coarse sand 🙂 The only way I’d try this in a stainless steel skillet is if there was plenty of oil used – but I’d still do a small test before trying a whole piece of chicken! N x
Omg soooo good. Easy to make too… my whole family enjoyed it and most went for seconds!!
I love hearing that! So glad you enjoyed this Jamie! N x
please and thank you for this recipe I am cooking for some one for no carbs or low carb
You’re so welcome Mary Jean! N x
OMG day 2 of trying one of your recipes… success. My husband is not a fan of chicken breast, but he’s been a happy camper these past 2 days.
I’m so pleased to hear that Jessica!! Thank you so much for letting me know! N xx
i love that you make it and also put the calorie counts too
I’m so glad you find that helpful Lori! N x
Thanks Lori! 🙂 N x
This is the only recipe of your insanely great recipes in which that I have ever failed. As i fried the chicken, the cheese melted and stuck to the pan, creating a gloppy mess. I love recipes and ALWAYS look forward to a new recipe and email from you, Nagi, but perhaps this one would work better if you fried the chicken and then lightly rolled the chicken , removed the chicken from the pan, rolled it in the cheese, and THEN put the chicken rolled in cheese in the microwave for melting?
I’m so sorry to hear that Brooke 🙁 Did you leave the chicken untouched as the cheese melted? The way this recipe works is that when the cheese turns golden, it adheres to the chicken. N x
I’ll give it another try, Nagi … thank you for responding. The cheese never got golden but stuck to the pan. But perhaps we need: (1) a better non-stick pan or (2) a better cook than me!!!
2) is absolutely wrong! It must be the non stick pan 🙂 N xx
me too, out of the 20 plus recipes of your I have made of yours , this I failed, still ok served with your egg fried rice yum, and have to say the star rating not working
Oh no! And you used a non stick pan??
Hi Nagi,
Chicken n Cheese my favorite . Cannot wait to make. I Saw the comments about no baking I am assuming an air fryer would no work either ?
I’m not sure about that Kathy! I’m curious though! N xx
Hi Nati,
Definitely no need to critique your scrumptious recipes! I cook at least 3 to 4 per week or at least get ideas. Your Blog within the recipes themselves are great, I feel like I’ve actually met you and we are life long friends. Haha. I have one question….the white frying pan you use looks like a great one, I’m sick of spending lots but not getting the quality I actually want. Could you share the brand please Nagi.
Cheers 🙂
Hi Kerry! I know this will sound crazy, but I don’t recommend that white pan…. it’s just from Kmart. A $10 one. The only reason why I use it is because it’s white so it shows sauces / oil etc better in the pan when I’m cooking for the videos – can’t see dark sauces in black pans! I have to replace it every 3 months because the non stick coating wears off. The best by far I’ve ever tried is Scanpan – yes it’s an investment but nowadays, they are even metal scratch proof. Teflon is also good I’m told, but the one I bought 10 years ago is no good anymore, whereas my Scanpan one is. 🙂 N xx