Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti
Thin chicken cutlets soaked in garlicky buttermilk, coated in crumbs of dried Italian bread and Parmesan, shallow-fried crisp, then baked at 425°F under red sauce and fresh mozzarella and served on a bed of spaghetti.
Chicken parmesan is an Italian-American invention built on a Southern Italian dish. Wikipedia says it originated with Italian immigrants in the United States in the early 20th century, probably by combining parmigiana, fried eggplant baked with tomato sauce, with the breaded veal cutlet of Italy, the cotoletta. By the 1950s it was a staple of Italian-American restaurants in the Northeast; a 1953 New York Herald Tribune recipe used frozen fried chicken patties, and The New York Times printed one in 1962. In the US it often comes on, or next to, a plate of spaghetti.
J. Kenji López-Alt tells the same story on Serious Eats: the eggplant original comes from Southern Italy despite a name that sounds like Parma, and in America, where meat was plentiful and cheap, breaded chicken took the eggplant's place, with Parmesan added later. His goal was to bring a dish that had become "an institutionalized, mass-produced, inoffensive staple" back to its best: a buttermilk soak borrowed from Southern fried chicken, a craggy crust from home-dried bread, and fresh mozzarella. In Australia, Wikipedia adds, the "parma" is pub food served with chips, and people argue about whether the chips go under it or beside it.
Why it works the kitchen science
A buttermilk soak
López-Alt borrows the Southern fried chicken trick; the mild acid and salt season and tenderize the thin cutlets so they stay juicy through frying and baking.
Moistened crumbs
Rubbing a little buttermilk into the dry crumbs makes small clumps that fry into extra-crisp, craggy bits, and the thick crust insulates the chicken from drying out.
Step by step
- Step 1
Split each breast in half horizontally and pound each piece in a zipper-lock bag to an even 1/4 inch. In a bowl, turn the chicken with 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, the garlic, salt and pepper, then seal it in a zipper-lock bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight). At the same time, set the bread slices on a rack and leave them out to dry, at least 4 hours.
- Step 2
Break up the bread and grind it in a food processor with 4 oz Parmesan and some pepper, about 20 seconds. Put the crumbs in a shallow dish and work in 2 tbsp buttermilk with your fingertips until they form small clumps. Put the flour in a second dish and whisk the eggs, 2 tbsp buttermilk and 1 tbsp of the flour in a third.
- Step 3
Dredge each cutlet in flour, shake off the excess, dip in egg, then press it firmly into the crumbs, piling crumbs on top. Set the cutlets on a rack. Heat the oven to 425°F and warm the 1 quart sauce over low heat.
- Step 4
Heat the oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F to 400°F. Fry the cutlets 2 or 3 at a time, laying them in away from you, about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Step 5
Spoon a third of the warm sauce into a baking dish and shingle the chicken on top. Spoon more sauce down the middle. Toss the mozzarella with 1 tbsp Parmesan and lay it in a line down the center.
- Step 6
Bake about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the thickest cutlet reads 165°F. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, usually 9 to 11 minutes, drain and toss it with the 2 cups warm sauce.
- Step 7
Grate fresh Parmesan over the chicken, let it rest 3 minutes, scatter the herbs and serve each cutlet on a bed of spaghetti.
Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti
Serves 6 · 6 cutlets with spaghetti · 5 hr total
Chicken and brine
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, divided
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp)
- 2 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper, plus more pepper for the crumbs
Breading
- 1/2 loaf crusty Italian bread, crust removed, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 5 oz grated Parmesan, divided, plus more for serving
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
Frying, sauce and cheese
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 quart Italian-American red sauce (homemade or a good jarred marinara)
- 10 oz fresh mozzarella (vacuum-packed, not water-packed), cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley, basil or both
To serve
- 1 lb dried spaghetti
- 2 cups more red sauce, warmed
Method
- Split each breast in half horizontally and pound each piece in a zipper-lock bag to an even 1/4 inch. In a bowl, turn the chicken with 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, the garlic, salt and pepper, then seal it in a zipper-lock bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight). At the same time, set the bread slices on a rack and leave them out to dry, at least 4 hours.
- Break up the bread and grind it in a food processor with 4 oz Parmesan and some pepper, about 20 seconds. Put the crumbs in a shallow dish and work in 2 tbsp buttermilk with your fingertips until they form small clumps. Put the flour in a second dish and whisk the eggs, 2 tbsp buttermilk and 1 tbsp of the flour in a third.
- Dredge each cutlet in flour, shake off the excess, dip in egg, then press it firmly into the crumbs, piling crumbs on top. Set the cutlets on a rack. Heat the oven to 425°F and warm the 1 quart sauce over low heat.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F to 400°F. Fry the cutlets 2 or 3 at a time, laying them in away from you, about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Spoon a third of the warm sauce into a baking dish and shingle the chicken on top. Spoon more sauce down the middle. Toss the mozzarella with 1 tbsp Parmesan and lay it in a line down the center.
- Bake about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the thickest cutlet reads 165°F. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, usually 9 to 11 minutes, drain and toss it with the 2 cups warm sauce.
- Grate fresh Parmesan over the chicken, let it rest 3 minutes, scatter the herbs and serve each cutlet on a bed of spaghetti.
Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt, "The Best Chicken Parmesan," Serious Eats (published September 25, 2014, updated December 13, 2025), serves 4 to 6. We follow it as written: 3 boneless breast halves split and pounded to 1/4 inch; 1 1/2 cups buttermilk with garlic, 2 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp pepper for at least 4 hours; half a loaf of crustless Italian bread air-dried at least 4 hours and ground with 4 oz Parmesan; flour, then eggs whisked with 2 tbsp buttermilk and 1 tbsp flour, then crumbs moistened with 2 tbsp buttermilk; 1/2 cup oil at 375°F to 400°F, about 2 minutes per side; 1 quart red sauce (López-Alt says a good jar works); 10 oz fresh mozzarella; 20 minutes at 425°F and a 3-minute rest. The spaghetti, the 2 extra cups of sauce for it and the 165°F check are ours; Wikipedia notes chicken parm is often served on top of pasta in the US. Serious Eats. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Short on time? López-Alt says even a 1-hour brine gives good results.
- He tested canned crumbs, panko and fresh bread; home-dried bread with buttermilk won.
- Fresh mozzarella in a vacuum-sealed pack melts better than the water-packed kind, which he finds too wet.
- Check the thickest cutlet with an instant-read thermometer: 165°F.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Chicken parm is Italian. Disputed: Wikipedia and López-Alt say it was born among Italian immigrants in the US; Italy has eggplant parmigiana and breaded veal cutlets without sauce or cheese.
- Parmigiana means "from Parma." Disputed: López-Alt translates it that way and says the eggplant dish is Southern Italian anyway; Wikipedia's chicken parmesan article does not settle the name.
- Real eggplant parmigiana has no Parmesan. Folklore as a rule: López-Alt says classic eggplant parm is made with mozzarella and "doesn't necessarily" include Parmesan.
- Chicken parm goes on spaghetti. Folklore: Wikipedia says in the US it is often served as a main with or on top of pasta; in Australia it comes with chips and salad.
- It became a staple by the 1950s. Documented by Wikipedia, citing a 1953 Herald Tribune recipe and a 1962 New York Times recipe.
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Meatballs of the World
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Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
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Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.