Quick and Easy Stove Top Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Stove Top Chicken Parmesan is a quick and easy recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes. It’s the perfect dinner for busy weeknights.

Italian Cuisine is a Favorite of Mine

Italian recipes have long been a favorite of mine. The wonderful variety of red and white pasta sauces, the different types of pastas available, the wide variety of meat, fish and poultry used – so many delightful flavors, textures and colors.

Some of my favorite Italian recipes include:

• Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta
• Grilled Shrimp with Garlicky Parmesan Orzo
• Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo
• One Pot Shrimp Scampi Pasta

I also happen to love a great veal or chicken parmesan. But, while they are not necessarily difficult to make, both dishes are a little time consuming to prepare.  

A traditional chicken parmesan recipe often includes preparing a bread crumb mixture, breading chicken, then frying the breaded chicken cutlets in hot oil. That’s along with making the pasta and/or marinara sauce.

I, too, often want a simple (but tasty) easy weeknight meal, but simply don’t have the time to go through all the steps. So, I came up with a much quicker version of a classic chicken parmesan, but with no breading or baking required AND I only dirtied one pan.

How to Make Chicken Parmesan Quick and Easy

Let’s start with this is a one pan recipe. The whole dish can be made in a single skillet (less the pasta), making for super easy clean up. I love less dishes to wash!

Another thing? No chopping or cutting. Just a little measuring is all that is needed for a delicious meal.

For the chicken, I use boneless chicken breasts and pound them out so they cook up quickly. A thin chicken breast will cook up quicker than a thick chicken breast. 

Then, instead of breading and frying the chicken (which takes a lot more time and ingredients), I just saute the chicken breasts I had pounded out. It takes about 3-5 minutes for them to cook and to have that nice seared outside.

As for the sauce, I often make large batches of my homemade tomato basil marina sauce and freeze to use whenever needed. But, in pursuit of an easy chicken parmesan recipe, you don’t need to prepare a homemade tomato sauce. You can certainly use a jarred marina or spaghetti sauce from your local grocery store.

To finish, top the seared chicken with sauce that’s already been heated along with some cheese. Pop a cover on the pan and once the cheese is melted they are ready to be served over pasta. You have a delicious skillet chicken parmesan for the whole family to enjoy in less than 30 minutes.

How to Store and Reheat Chicken Parmesan

This is one of those easy meals to store and reheat. If I have both the chicken parmesan and pasta leftover, I make individual servings to reheat later.

Simply put 1/2 to 1 full cup of pasta tossed with sauce into an airtight container and then place one of the prepared chicken breast on top. Seal and put in the fridge for later (this will keep fine for 3-5 days). When ready to serve again, reheat the chicken and pasta in the microwave to 2-3 minutes, or until hot.

If you just have the prepared chicken breasts leftover, do the same thing as above. Put each into an airtight container and place into the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes while making pasta.

This is a recipe that I do not freeze. I don’t think the re-thawing of the prepared chicken breast works very well between the chicken, marinara sauce and cheese. Best to make fresh and consume any leftovers within the next few days.

Tips and Tricks for Making Quick and Easy Stove Top Chicken Parmesan

• If your chicken breasts are over-sized, use two breasts for 4 servings. Cut them in half crosswise before pounding them out. You want each serving to be about 4-5 ounces.
• If you don’t have a meat mallet, a small skillet works great for pounding out the chicken breasts.
• If you don’t want to serve the chicken parmesan over pasta, they are delicious served with mashed potatoes or a big green salad (like this Field Greens Salad) and Four Cheese Roasted Garlic Bread.

Ingredients Needed to Make Stove Top Chicken Parmesan

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see tips and tricks above)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Marinara sauce 
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Cooked pasta (optional)

How to Make Stove Top Chicken Parmesan

• Place chicken breasts in a gallon size zip top bag or on a cutting board and cover chicken with sheets of plastic wrap.
• Pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallot or the bottom of a small skillet until the chicken pieces are about 3/4 of an inch thick.
• Season each piece of chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet until very hot.
• Add chicken to the pan and saute about 4 minutes per side, until chicken is golden brown.
• Turn heat to medium low.
• Once chicken is browned, top each piece with 1/4 cup of the sauce, 2 tbsp shredded mozzarella and 1 tsp grated parmesan.
• Turn the heat down to low and cover the skillet until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.
• Serve over cooked pasta if desired.

ENJOY!