This Grilled Chicken Parmesan Recipe is the ultimate guilt free version of a beloved classic Chicken Parmesan. Tender juicy and flavorful pan grilled chicken breasts are topped with basil pesto, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and baked in a fresh quick homemade marinara sauce.
Say hello to the perfect Italian comfort food to serve with pasta, salad or crusty bread! Not only a skinny version, but a really delicious one too!
I’ve always loved chicken parmesan, and if you’ve been to Italy or even been invited to Italian homes you’ll feel this is a classic that symbols comfort.
And like many other comfort foods, this lovely chicken dish will taste differently from place to another and from home to another. Much of the taste relies on the marinara sauce used, and the breading used to pan fry the chicken.
CHICKEN PARMESAN RECIPE
Chicken Parmesan is basically breaded chicken breasts, pan fried and baked over marinara sauce with cheese over the chicken.
It’s probably the ultimate Italian comfort chicken recipe. And while I LOVE it, I prefer this skinny grilled version so much more!
WHY GRILLED CHICKEN PARMESAN
Grilling the chicken here adds a layer of extra flavor to the chicken. You don’t even need to use an outdoor grill, I’ve used an indoor grill today and it was perfect!
If you think you’ll loose the flavor from the fried crusted chicken, well I’ve added a much better one here and a secret ingredient. I added basil pesto! Yes! A teaspoon of basil pesto over each chicken takes this chicken Parmesan recipe to another level.
Another thing I’ve also added in order to keep the flavor level up is a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese over the chicken.
Now I can promise you this chicken parm doesn’t lack flavor a single bit, and even more, it doesn’t leave you feeling heavy like the fried chicken one! So I know you’ll be making it over and over!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN
I start out by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and dried oregano, and pan grill them till they’re nice and golden.
Then I use my favourite Quick Homemade Marinara Sauce because i love the flavors and freshness it adds to this dish.
Then once the chicken is beautifully placed on the marinara sauce, it gets a teaspoon of my homemade basil pesto, parmesan cheese, more marinara and finally a sprinkle of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses! Baked in the oven and ready to devour! For the record–my friend calls it spaghetti sauce not marinara sauce, so either way you call it, it works!
I had a little ( ok, a lot) of help from my oldest daughter helping out here—and yes she insisted on showing off her fancy nail polish! And showing off her love for the yummy grilled chicken parmesan dinner.
Bake the chicken parm for under 30 minutes. I feel 20 mins is perfect, however I know some ovens run at different temperatures, plus the fan/convection factor may speed things up. So keep an eye on it after 15 minutes.
Make this Chicken Parmesan tonight and serve it with salad, pasta, crusty bread or whatever makes you happy!:) Enjoy.
CHICKEN PARMESAN RECIPE TIPS
- Use fresh chicken breasts and slice each in half by length so the chicken cooks faster.
- If you want to keep the chicken breasts without slicing in half lengthwise, increase the cooking time on each side by 3 minutes.
- Add some garlic powder or onion powder if you prefer that flavor.
- Use store bought Marinara sauce if you think the homemade one is a hassle, but add a teaspoon of basil pesto to your store bought marinara for a boost of flavor!
- Adding basil pesto over each chicken breast creates incredible flavor to the chicken parmesan along with some grated fresh parmesan.
- Make the whole recipe in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. Or make it ahead of time and refrigerate it for 4 days before serving.
- Make the chicken parmesan into individual long ramekins rather than a single shallow dish or baking dish.
CHICKEN RECIPES
Italian Balsamic Chicken Salad Recipe–loaded with goodness and flavor!
Pecan Crusted Baked Chicken Tenders — the best way to crust your chicken fingers! Lemon Artichoke Garlic Roast Chicken with Salsa–sheet pan chicken with self made salsa/sauce.
Lemon Caper Artichoke Chicken Piccata — The best speedy weeknight dinner!
Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Walnut Sauce — My grandma’s recipe with a twist!
Korean Fried Chicken Strips – My friend’s recipe which we adore!
Grilled Chicken Parmesan -This recipe story at a glance!
Lemon Chicken Hummus Platter – Best Lemon Chicken on the grill and served with a hummus platter!
Instant Pot Chicken Pasta Dinner – One pot Dinner Wonders!!
ENJOY!
Grilled Chicken Parmesan
This grilled chicken parmesan recipe is the ultimate guilt free version of a beloved classic. Tender juicy and flavorful pan grilled chicken breasts are topped with basil pesto, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and baked in a fresh quick homemade marinara sauce. The perfect Italian comfort food to serve with pasta, salad or crusty bread!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breast boneless skinless chicken breasts ( about 2 pounds)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 marinara sauce batch of quick homemade
- 4 teaspoons basil pesto
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
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Bring out a 9 inch by 13 inch oven safe plate and pour tow thirds of the marinara sauce at the bottom of the plate. Set aside.
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Preheat a cast iron grill pan (or any skillet of your choice) over medium heat and add in the olive oil.
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Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and dried oregano on both sides.
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When the pan is ready, sear the chicken on one side for 3 minutes and then flip it and sear it for an extra 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and flip the chicken one last time,and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
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Remove the chicken onto the marinara sauce in the oven safe plate.
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Place a teaspoon of nut free basil pesto on top of each chicken breast and spread it on the entire piece of chicken and then place 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce on top of each chicken breast ( or more to your taste) making sure to cover the entire surface.
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Sprinkle the cheeses on top ( about 1/4 cup of cheese in total per chicken piece).
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Place the plate in the oven and bake for 15-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chicken absorbs much of the marinara flavour.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
CHICKEN PARMESAN RECIPE TIPS
- Use fresh chicken breasts and slice each in half by length so the chicken cooks faster.
- If you want to keep the chicken breasts without slicing in half lengthwise, increase the cooking time on each side by 3 minutes.
- Add some garlic powder or onion powder if you prefer that flavor.
- Use store bought Marinara sauce if you think the homemade one is a hassle, but add a teaspoon of basil pesto to your store bought marinara for a boost of flavor!
- Adding basil pesto over each chicken breast creates incredible flavor to the chicken parmesan along with some grated fresh parmesan.
- Make the whole recipe in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. Or make it ahead of time and refrigerate it for 4 days before serving.
- Make the chicken parmesan into individual long ramekins rather than a single shallow dish or baking dish.
I love chicken parmesan but it’s even better to find a lighter version of it with this delicious recipe! The addition of pesto is amazing!
Up until right now I’d never thought about grilling chicken for chicken parm, but I’m definitely going to try it this week! Grilled chicken is always so flavorful and juicy.
Love this new way to have chicken parm! We just brought out the grill too!
What a delicious meal! I love that you made the chicken parmesan with grilled chicken. The flavors sound amazing!
Grilling the chicken and pesto on this sounds amazing! Definitely going to be a big hit in my house,
Love the grilled version of the classic chicken parma! Will definitely be giving this a go for a midweek dinner 🙂
I was looking for a non-breaded chicken parmesan recipe because my girlfriend doesn’t like breaded anything. I found this one and it looked good and had good reviews. I was not prepared for what I got! It looked good enough that I bought high end ingredients and prepared exactly as the recipe stated. The first time I do a recipe, I like to cook how the chef intended. This was the most amazing thing I’ve cooked in the recent past. The marinara alone is worth making over and over. I’ll use this marinara recipe for pasta’s for a long time to come I’m sure. I will make this dish again!
Thank you so much Michael! So HAPPY you enjoyed this recipe too!!
This is so good! Made using jar sauce that I jazzed up by using the deglazed drippings from the chicken breast sautéed with garlic, fresh basil and oregano, mushrooms, and sliced colored baby tomatoes. I didn’t have pesto, so I used an Italian herbs paste. Served over spaghetti noodles… family loved it!
Thanks Kaycee for letting me know!! So happy you enjoyed this you made my day!!
Parm is my favorite, growing up in a family that came from Italy my mom and grandmother only made eggplant parm so I never got to have the chicken parm until I was in college. I really enjoyed your version and will be making it again.
Made this today and it was such a hit with my family. This is definitely added to our dinner rotation from now!
Can’t wait to try this recipe, I know my family will love it!
Love that you still get all that amazing flavor but with a healthier twist. Fantastic!
Love how you skinnyed this up! This type of dinner is on regular rotation at my house so lightening it up is greatly appreciated. Can’t wait to try this out on my teens!
I really enjoyed this. I had some basil in my garden that I wanted to pick, so this was the perfect opportunity. The chicken did take longer than the recipe said, but I also did not split the breasts.
Yaay Rachel! So glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe as much as we do! Can you share how long your chicken took so I can add a note in the recipe for those who don’t split the chicken? Thanks 🙂
I really enjoyed this. I had some basil in my garden that I wanted to pick, so this was the perfect opportunity. The chicken did take longer than the recipe said, but I also did not split the breasts.
Oh fresh basil is the best!!!
I made this the other night and it turned out pretty dang amazing. I’m not a fan of breaded chicken and wanted to find a receipe that didn’t have it and found this great website. I didn’t make homemade sauce, I used Bertolli Olive oil, basil, and garlic sauce and it tasted amazing and used pesto from a jar as well. We had zucchini noodles with this for a healthy alternative. This will definitely be a staple in our rotation.
Hi Desiree, Thanks so much for letting me know!! So happy you enjoyed this like we do!!I love Bertolli Basil Sauce too, I’ll try it next time!! 🙂
I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe! I just made this using chicken tenders and it was amazing! I couldn’t believe how much more I like this over the regular breaded style recipe. I don’t think I will be ordering this at restaurants anymore when I can make it better! Thanks again!
Hey Donna!! Oh YAY you made my day!! Thanks for making it and so happy you enjoyed it more than breaded style too!! 🙂
I made this today, and it was absolutely delicious. The pesto was definitely the icing on the cake. Thank you!
Thank YOU Natalie!! So glad you enjoyed it and oh yes the pesto makes it pop out!! Thanks again 🙂
amazing recipe my whole family loves it!! but the cook time deffinatly is alot longer in my oven 🙁
Katelynn I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed it!! 🙂 Does your oven have a convection (fan) function? That would make it cook faster, and if not, when you’re rushed you can always raise the temperature to 400 degrees. 🙂
Christine Thanks!! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
This is the best!
Thanks Danielle!! So glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
This looks so delicious, I’m going to make this on the weekend for my family. Is there a recipe that I’m missing for your homemade marinara sauce?? Thanks so much
Hey Amanda thanks so much!! Hope you and your family enjoy this as much as we do! 🙂 Here’s a link to my quick homemade marinara sauce: https://www.twopurplefigs.com/quick-homemade-marinara-sauce/
Enjoy 🙂
Mica–thanks so much!! It really tastes fabulous too 🙂