This crispy baked panko chicken is a recipe the whole family will love. Tender, juicy chicken breasts are coated in a simple breading then baked until golden and crispy. All you need is 6 ingredients and 20 minutes to make!
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📋 About the Recipe
- Versatile main dish. This panko chicken can be paired with any of your favorite healthy recipes. Serve this tender juicy chicken over your favorite salad, grains, pasta, as a crispy chicken sandwich or alongside vegetables such as Instant Pot Broccoli. The options are endless. If you love simple chicken dishes, try my Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breasts and Chicken Kofta Kebabs, too!
- Realistic for weeknights. You can throw this crispy protein together with just 20 minutes of prep. Have a healthy, easy recipe on the dinner table in 1 hour or less.
- Made with pantry staples. All you need to bread this chicken from scratch is 5 simple ingredients, plus salt and pepper.
🛒 Ingredients
- Boneless chicken breasts - I used 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts that weighed a total of 2 pounds. Depending on the size and weight of your chicken breasts, you may need to adjust the cook time to cook the meat through completely. Avoid using boneless skinless chicken thighs or another cut of meat.
- Panko breadcrumbs - Panko is a Japanese style of breadcrumbs that are light and flaky and the easiest way to make crispy chicken at home.
- Parmesan cheese - Similar to making my Air Fryer Green Bean Fries, mixing parmesan cheese in with the breadcrumb mixture not only adds additional flavor but helps make the best crispy breading!
- Eggs - Essential to helping the breading stick. For this recipe, you'll need 2 large eggs, ideally room temperature.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Switch up the seasonings - This version of crispy panko chicken is seasoned in an Italian style. Feel free to swap the dried oregano and dried basil with 1 ½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning or change the seasonings altogether.
📓 Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with a nonstick cooking spray, such as vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil spray.
- Prep the chicken. Use a paper towel to pat chicken breasts dry. Butterfly the chicken breasts all the way through creating 6 thin chicken breasts.
- Whisk the eggs. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and set aside.
- Mix the breading. In a separate shallow bowl, add panko, parmesan, oregano, basil, salt and black pepper to another bowl and stir to combine.
- Bread the chicken. Working with one chicken breast at a time, first dip in the whisked egg wash, then immediately dip in the panko bread crumbs mixture, fully coating both sides. Transfer to the greased baking sheet and repeat until all remaining chicken breasts have been breaded.
- Bake. Spray the tops of each piece of chicken with nonstick spray, then bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, carefully flip the chicken, then bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and thermometer inserted in the thickest portions of the chicken reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Serve. Allow the tender chicken breast to cool slightly, then slice and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I love marinara sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, or lemon dill yogurt sauce.
❄️ How to Store
To store: Leftover cooked panko chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container or zip top bag.
To freeze: For long term storage, this panko chicken can be frozen for up to 1 month. To freeze, allow the cooked chicken to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Once cool, transfer the chicken cutlets to a freezer safe bag or container.
To reheat: The best way to reheat chicken with any kind of breading on it is in the air fryer or back in the oven. This will help make the panko breading crispy again and keep the chicken tender and juicy. To start, try cooking the chicken at 375 degrees F for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until warmed through and crispy again.
🔍 Recipe FAQs
The best way to get the panko mixture to stick to the chicken is to first dip the skinless chicken breasts in whisked eggs. The protein structure in the eggs helps act as the glue and holds the chicken and breading together.
Keep it simple and serve this panko chicken with lemon wedges and a simple salad such as this Kale Apple Slaw or Jerusalem Salad. Or, if you're looking for something more hearty, serve alongside a Summer Tortellini Caprese Salad or sliced over top One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta.
Compared with regular breadcrumbs, panko is lower in fat and higher in fiber. It's also drier and flakier, yielding a crispier breading without as much oil. If you're looking to make simple swaps in your kitchen pantry, switching to panko breadcrumbs is a slightly healthier option.
💭 One More Tip
How to make a crispier breading: During the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking, broil the chicken until crispy and golden. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
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Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Panko Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with nonstick spray.
- Use paper towel to pat chicken breasts until they’re dry. Butterfly them all the way through to create 6 thin chicken breasts.
- Add eggs to a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Add panko, parmesan, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to another medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip in the eggs. Flip to coat both sides, then dip in the panko mixture to fully coat both sides. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the breasts.
- Spray the top of each piece of chicken with nonstick spray. Bake for 15 minutes, carefully flip the chicken, and then bake for an additional 5 minutes*, or until golden brown on the outside and a thermometer inserted in the largest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F.
- To serve, you can dip the chicken in marinara sauce, ketchup, or any of your favorite sauces.
Notes
- *For a crispier breading, you can also broil the chicken for the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.
- This version of panko chicken is seasoned in an Italian style. However, feel free to use any seasonings you like best in place of the dried oregano and basil.
Nutrition
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