Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Chicken parmesan is usually made with the traditional breading procedure: chicken dipped in flour, dipped in egg, then dipped in breadcrumbs.  Then it’s pan fried.

This recipe, is a liiiitle different.  No traditional breading.  Makes it a bit easier.  Also, I find baking is easier on the cleanup than pan frying.  The secret ingredient for this Easy Baked Chicken Parm?  Mayonnaise.

That’s right. Mix some mayo with parmesan, coat the chicken, then give it a light coating of Italian breadcrumbs and bake it.  Mayo might sound weird,  I know, but it’s soooo good. I learned this trick from my mom.  It’s not heavy, or greasy.  In fact the chicken is light, crispy, and most importantly moist and flavorful. Chicken breast is a blank canvas, gotta spice it up!

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of mayo which might sound like a lot – but keep in mind, it makes 4 servings which means at most that’s 2 tablespoons of mayo per chicken breast. I say “at most”, because usually there’s a little mayo/parm mixture leftover in the bowl after coating all the chicken breasts. Plus, if you’re using homemade mayo, you’re getting some healthy fats anyway, so bring it on!

My favorite way to serve this chicken parm is with my Fresh Tomato Sauce over some thin spaghetti.  Because I usually make them together, check out the video below to see both recipes.  You could also just serve the Chicken Parm like my mom does: as the main protein of the meal with some veggies on the side.