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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

chicken entrees· Valentine's Day
January 22, 2018

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Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken – Chicken fillets covered in Parmesan cheese and seasoned panko bread crumbs and baked until perfectly crispy. No frying required!

Chicken breast covered in melted cheeseHealthy 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!

Closeup of Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

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.

Bowl of grated parmeseanCoating chicken filet in sour cream Sprinkling parmesean cheese and panko breadcrumbs on the chicken breast Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken ready to be cooked

Tips to make Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

Print Recipe

Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Chicken fillets covered in Parmesan cheese and seasoned panko bread crumbs and baked until perfectly crispy. No frying required!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 4 servings

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:

Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken photo collage

More healthy recipes you’ll love:

Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad

Pouring cherry balsamic vinaigrette on Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad

Lemon Avocado Pasta Salad

Bowl of Lemon Avocado Pasta Salad

Cilantro & Lime Chicken Bites

Cilantro & Lime Chicken Bites with white rice and black beans

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30 Comments

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Comments

  1. Beth says

    November 12, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      November 12, 2019 at 7:27 pm

      Thanks for the heads up! I’ve fixed it accordingly

      Reply
  2. Debs says

    January 29, 2018 at 11:41 am

    These look and sound lovely! Love the use of sour cream instead of a traditional
    egg wash.

    Reply
  3. Abby @ WinsteadWandering says

    January 28, 2018 at 5:01 pm

    I love ANYTHING that involves chicken + Parmesan, but when you tell me it’s healthy? I need to make this NOW.

    Reply
  4. dixya @food, pleasure, and health says

    January 27, 2018 at 7:19 am

    i loveee that crispy top..i will have to make this for dinner sometime.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 8:36 am

      Omg the crispy top is EVERYTHING!

      Reply
  5. Jenni says

    January 26, 2018 at 7:11 am

    Delicious! We love this chicken and have it often!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 9:59 am

      Yay! Glad you love it!

      Reply
  6. Gina says

    January 25, 2018 at 8:05 pm

    Looks good! Would this also work with chicken thighs you think?

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:09 am

      Yes for sure! But the cook time may be a little longer since it’s dark meat. Just keep checking it!

      Reply
  7. Veena Azmanov says

    January 25, 2018 at 8:13 am

    I love adding parmesan in my breadcrumbs too!! Chicken and parmesan are always the perfect combination isn’t it? So much flavor here..!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:27 am

      You’re so right! Thanks so much!

      Reply
  8. nicole says

    January 23, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    This looks super delish! I am going to have to try it out soon!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:28 am

      Yessss! It’s so easy and delicious so they’re no reason not to!

      Reply
  9. Alicia Taylor says

    January 23, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    Sour cream! I never would have thought of that! I love baked foods that imitate fried in their crispiness!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:29 am

      Me too! You’re gonna love this chicken!

      Reply
  10. Ben Myhre says

    January 23, 2018 at 12:20 pm

    Some very indulgent foods can ALSO be healthy. It is rare, but possible. Pass the heavy cream.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:30 am

      Haha true!

      Reply
  11. Becky Tarala says

    January 23, 2018 at 10:57 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:31 am

      Ooo good idea!! And yes, that panko crust is everything!

      Reply
  12. Melissa says

    January 23, 2018 at 1:13 am

    This looks like something even my kids would enjoy! Thanks for the idea…I’m always looking for something new to try!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:31 am

      Yessss they definitely would!

      Reply
  13. Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says

    January 22, 2018 at 9:53 pm

    No way this is healthy. This looks sinfully good! And tons of flavour and little effort is my motto 😉

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:31 am

      Haha I know, it’s too good to be true!

      Reply
  14. Justine @ Little Dove says

    January 22, 2018 at 5:08 pm

    This sounds so good and I love how simple it is! I even think I have everything I need in my kitchen right now!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:34 am

      Ahhh you gotta make it now!

      Reply
  15. Susannah says

    January 22, 2018 at 11:28 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      January 28, 2018 at 10:34 am

      Oh for sure!!

      Reply
  16. Brittney says

    January 22, 2018 at 9:50 am

    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!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Easy Sheet-pan Zucchini Gratin - CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado says:
    January 17, 2019 at 5:14 am

    […] Healthy Parmesan-Crusted Chicken […]

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