This meal makes me so happy! A flavorful crunchy and cheesy topping belies how juicy the parmesan panko chicken is inside. Crunchy? Juicy? Sign us up! So, grab your panko, your favorite Italian herbs, and a cheese grater and get these in a hot oven. You’ll love it.
I guarantee it.
This recipe has been my metaphoric great white whale for years. It’s one of my favorites because it’s a great weeknight meal, and it pairs with every side dish under the sun – but somehow, it’s just never completely right.
The coating doesn’t fully adhere. Or, if it adheres (mostly), when I go to slice it, the coating falls off. Which isn’t what I’m looking for when I’m craving crunchy chicken, natch.
I’ve tried the usual three breading method using flour, eggs, and panko with the level of success that I just described. Sort of coated. Sort of crunchy. But not perfection.
And then I tried something new, that I’m massively in love with.
Heavy cream replacing the egg.
Hello, Heavy Cream! Let’s be besties!
And then instead of just baking the panko all naked and such, I drizzled the pieces of chicken with a good amount of melted butter.
The parmesan panko coating stuck on the chicken like a champ, and in between crunchy bites, there were little bits of pooled cheese that were kind of insane.
How cool is that?
Crispy and Cheesy Parmesan Panko Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 4 thin chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/2-inch thickness
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Fit a large, rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
- Rub the parchment all over with olive oil.
- Combine the flour with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepperin a shallow dish or large paper plate.
- Pour the cream and hot sauce into a shallow dish or largepaper plate.
- Whisk together the panko, parmesan, remaining salt andpepper in a shallow dish or large paper plate.
- Dredge the chicken through the flour, into the cream, andinto the seasoned panko, pushing the chicken into the breadcrumbs to adhere.
- Place the chicken on the prepared parchment.
- Drizzle chicken breasts with melted butter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken registers 165 witha meat thermometer.
- To reheat: Place chicken in a 350 degree oven for 8-10minutes.