Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken – Chicken fillets covered in Parmesan cheese and seasoned panko bread crumbs and baked until perfectly crispy. No frying required!
Healthy is not a category of cuisine that I tend to post about often – I’m more passionate about foods more on the indulgent side of the spectrum. In fact, in the past year alone, I’ve only posted about a handful of healthy recipes, including these Chicken & Couscous Stuffed Peppers and the Orchard Harvest Salad, which are two of my favorite recipes in the world, but also happen to be better for you. Well today I have another recipe that falls into that category – Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken!
Instead of frying the chicken breasts, they’re baked in the oven. But don’t think that makes them any less wonderful. The smells that engulfs the kitchen as these bake is truly incredible, thanks to the blend of Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Good luck waiting the full 15 minutes for these babies to bake through!
The thing I love most about this recipe is that you can get a perfectly crispy chicken bread with tons of flavor with very little effort. You can easily have this recipe done, start to finish, in less than 30 minutes.
So how exactly do you make this Parmesan crusted chicken? Let’s run down the steps, shall we??
First you coat the panko breadcrumbs with shredded Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I like using shredded Parmesan instead of grated because it crisps up better.
Then, you coat the chicken fillets with a little sour cream. You can use low fat if you want to make these extra healthy. But don’t omit it all together – the sour cream is the glue that holds on to all that crispy coating.
Tips to make Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken:
- For this recipe, you need to use chicken filets, not chicken breasts. You can buy filets or you can make your own. To make your own, you slice chicken breasts into two thinner halves and then pound the chicken out a little to flatten it out. If you don’t have flat filets, they won’t cook evenly.
- Panko bread crumbs are not the same as regular bread crumbs – they’re a little bulkier and crispier. You should be able to find them in the same spot as regular bread crumbs on the grocery shelf.
- I highly recommend using shredded Parmesan instead of grated Parmesan because it gets crispier and adds more texture to the crust.
And there you have it – and yummy, easy, and HEALTHY dish to make for weeknight dinners. Heck, you’ll love it enough to make on the weekends too! Make sure to check out some of the other healthy recipes I have for you guys by scrolling to the bottom. Enjoy!
This post originally appeared on Julie’s Eats & Treats
Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 24 ounces chicken fillets
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prep baking sheet by lining with parchment paper to greasing with olive oil.
- Place chicken fillets on prepped baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Add a heaping tablespoon of sour cream to each of the 4 filets and spread evenly. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Divide mixture evenly on each filet. Spread mixture and press into the sour cream to help it stick.
- Bake prepared fillets in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Pin for later:
More healthy recipes you’ll love:
Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad
Lemon Avocado Pasta Salad
Cilantro & Lime Chicken Bites
I’m making this tonight. Check the second step. I think it’s a tbsp of sour cream. This sounds delicious. In fact my mouth is watering right now.
Thanks for the heads up! I’ve fixed it accordingly
These look and sound lovely! Love the use of sour cream instead of a traditional
egg wash.
I love ANYTHING that involves chicken + Parmesan, but when you tell me it’s healthy? I need to make this NOW.
i loveee that crispy top..i will have to make this for dinner sometime.
Omg the crispy top is EVERYTHING!
Delicious! We love this chicken and have it often!
Yay! Glad you love it!
Looks good! Would this also work with chicken thighs you think?
Yes for sure! But the cook time may be a little longer since it’s dark meat. Just keep checking it!
I love adding parmesan in my breadcrumbs too!! Chicken and parmesan are always the perfect combination isn’t it? So much flavor here..!
You’re so right! Thanks so much!
This looks super delish! I am going to have to try it out soon!
Yessss! It’s so easy and delicious so they’re no reason not to!
Sour cream! I never would have thought of that! I love baked foods that imitate fried in their crispiness!
Me too! You’re gonna love this chicken!
Some very indulgent foods can ALSO be healthy. It is rare, but possible. Pass the heavy cream.
Haha true!
I am seriously dying over those little bits of crispy cheese on the pan. That’s my favorite part! I make a recipe similar to this, but I use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Love that panko crunch!
Ooo good idea!! And yes, that panko crust is everything!
This looks like something even my kids would enjoy! Thanks for the idea…I’m always looking for something new to try!
Yessss they definitely would!
No way this is healthy. This looks sinfully good! And tons of flavour and little effort is my motto 😉
Haha I know, it’s too good to be true!
This sounds so good and I love how simple it is! I even think I have everything I need in my kitchen right now!
Ahhh you gotta make it now!
I’ve tried this the unhealthy way with mayonaise and it was so good! I love that it can be just as good with sour cream, instead!
Oh for sure!!
I always do a panfried lemon parmesan chicken, but the oil splatter makes me crazy! I can’t wait to try this! I love that you used shredded parm vs grated! I’m actually going to try this week!