Easy Italian-Style Baked Chicken

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 08/29/21
Easy Italian-Style Baked Chicken recipe

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 chicken breasts

This delicious and easy baked chicken recipe is a simple Parmesan- and breadcrumb-coated chicken with a surprising and tasty butter and Italian dressing drizzle. For extra flavor, use garlic-seasoned or Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, or feel free to add some garlic powder or granulated garlic to the breadcrumb coating mix to amplify the flavor.

Make this baked chicken for any night of the week when you want a little bit of hands-off time to do other things while it bakes, or prepare it on the weekend. You can serve it any number of ways, whether that's alongside something like a baked potato or steamed broccoli. It also goes well with cooked rice or angel hair pasta with a little marinara. This dish tastes great served alongside a very simple tossed salad or sliced fresh tomatoes.

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Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1 cup fine dry Italian breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

    Easy Italian-Style Baked Chicken ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.

    pat chicken dry with paper towel

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.

    whisk eggs in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. In a separate bowl, combine the cheese and breadcrumbs.

    combine the cheese and breadcrumbs in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Dip the chicken breasts into the beaten eggs.

    dip chicken into eggs

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture.

    dip chicken into the breadcrumb mixture

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Place the breaded chicken on a greased baking sheet.

    chicken on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Drizzle with salad dressing, then the melted butter.

    chicken drizzled with salad dressing and melted butter

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Bake for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the crust is golden brown. The safe minimum internal temperature for chicken is 165 F. Serve and enjoy.

    Easy Italian-Style Baked Chicken on a baking pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

How to Store and Freeze Italian-Style Baked Chicken

Leftover chicken will keep for three to five days if stored in the refrigerator in a covered container. Then, reheat it in the oven tented with foil to keep it from drying out, or use it cold on top of salads.


Wrap any leftover chicken in foil and then freeze in a zip-close freezer bag for three to four months.

Variations

  • You can fry this breaded chicken in a sauté pan with oil if you'd like a faster preparation and really want the crunch and crisp of a pan-fried chicken breast.
  • You can also cook it in the air fryer for about half the time it would take to bake in the oven. Follow the recommendations of your particular air fryer model for temperature and timing.
  • You can try this recipe with other hard Italian cheeses such as pecorino Romano or Grana Padano.

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
608 Calories
31g Fat
26g Carbs
53g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 608
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 14g 72%
Cholesterol 294mg 98%
Sodium 1231mg 54%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 53g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 312mg 24%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 489mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)