Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce
Parmesan Crusted Chicken takes on a whole new flavor when topped with this creamy basil sauce. Whenever we are having company over for dinner for the first time, this recipe is right at the top of the “impress our guests” list! Tender chicken breasts are pan crusted with Italian bread crumbs, browned to perfection. The basil cream sauce is mixed with tons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and poured over the top. Serve with pasta and a green salad and you have a dinner your guests will be talking about!
Tips for the Perfect Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Thinner chicken breasts work best for this recipe. I always pound my chicken to about a quarter to a half inch thick. This ensures even cooking throughout without burning the outside crust.
- Add your butter to a screaming hot pan. Make sure that pan is super hot before adding your chicken. This will give your chicken that nice golden crust on the outside.
- You can also fry up your chicken in a little extra virgin olive oil.
- After removing the chicken from the pan, de-glaze your pan with a little bit of chicken stock or broth. You want all those bits of browned crust for your sauce. YUM!
- You can use fresh or dried basil in the sauce, either will work.
- If you can, try to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese in the sauce. It melts beautifully and gives the sauce a nutty, salty flavor that pairs perfectly with the chicken.
What to Serve with Parmesan Crusted Chicken
A simple green salad and bread is delightful with this recipe, but try a few of our favorite side dishes for a show-stopping meal.
- Best Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Oven Roasted Green Beans
- Parmesan Garlic Grilled Potatoes
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
More Impress Your Guests Dinner Ideas
You can never go wrong with a good chicken dinner. From a busy weeknight to a weekend get together with friends or family, try our tried true Ten Best Chicken Recipes of 2019 or our BEST Chicken Breast Recipes for ANY Night of the Week! Here are a few more meals that are guaranteed to impress your guests:
- Sunday Pot Roast (Instant Pot Recipe)
- One Pot Creamy Garlic Noodles
- Easy Cheesy Manicotti
- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops
How to Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 4 chicken breasts cut into halves (8 pieces total)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Optional: I like to pound and flatten the chicken out a little so it cooks evenly throughout.
- Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
- Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs.
- In a skillet over medium heat cook chicken in butter until browned on both sides.
- Remove chicken from skillet and keep in a 9x13 pan in the oven on warm.
- Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to loosen up browned bits from pan.
- Stir in cream, basil, and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat to low and whisk in parmesan cheese.
- Pour sauce over the chicken and serve.
Christy says
This recipe is amazing! It is one of my family’s favorites and it’s not hard to make. A note to others: DON’T try to substitute anything. I’ve tried substituting some of the ingredients to make it healthier or cheaper and it is no where near as good. Just do yourself a favor and make this exactly how the recipe says.
Emily Walker says
Thanks for sharing your tips, I completely agree!
juliet says
might sound crazy but I will substitute halibut for the chicken tonight. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Favorite Family Recipes says
It doesn’t sound crazy, it sounds delicious!
Josephine says
Just made this tonight and it was fabulous!!!! I will definitely be making it again and again and again!! Served it with brown rice and it was great! The sauce on the rice kicked it up a couple of notches. I was wishing the sauce was a little thicker but it doesn’t matter – it’s awesome!!! Thanks so much! Love it!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
We are so glad you love this recipe! It is one of our all-time favorites!! Thank you so much for the 5-star rating! If you want the sauce to be thicker, you could simmer it for a bit longer or add more cheese to thicken!
LL says
This was REALLY good. The sauce was delicious, although a little on the thin side. It went a long way. We also used it as a dip for jo-jos and the day after, tossed the rest with some pasta. Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oh man, I LOVE the idea of using the sauce for JoJos! YUUUMMM! Thanks for the comment! 😀
amanda g says
Thanks for the recipe! Do you use regular a pie and bread crumbs or panko Italian bread crumbs? Thanks!
Erica says
You can use either. Typically I use regular panko breadcrumbs but Italian would be delcious!
Sarah says
I just LOVE all of your recipes! I haven’t ever tried this one over the 7 years I’ve been stocking your site!! 😛 The sauce in the picture looks a little thin, is that true? If so, have you ever made it thicker? Would adding flour in the beginning be best? How much do you think I would need to make it a thick gravy? Thanks Erica!! Love you girls!
Erica says
Hi Sarah– Wow– 7 years! You have been following us almost since the beginning! Thank you for being a true, loyal follower! THANK YOU!!! 😀 You rock! We will keep doing our best to bring you yummy recipes for at least another 7 years 😉 Anyway, to answer your question– Yes, you can add a little flour to thicken or if it is too thin for your liking you can mix a little milk with some cornstarch and keep adding to the gravy until it thickens up more. Sometimes it comes out thinner for me, sometimes thicker– you just kind of have to mess with it to get it where you want it. Hope this helps! -Erica
Pam B says
Love this. I have made it a few times for friends and everyone has enjoyed it. Being a basil lover, I added some finely crushed dried basil to the bread crumbs. I also tried it over angel hair pasta that I added fresh chiffonade basil leaves to in the last minute of cooking…yum!
Erica says
This is one of my very favorite recipes too– great idea adding basil to the breadcrumbs!
Jeannie Johnson says
This recipe is amazing! The chicken was so delicious. In fact, I made this for my family and they all loved it too. I will definitely make this again. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Echo says
I’m so glad you like it! Thank you for sharing your success!
Ashley says
I’m going to make this tonight! I was wanting to make rice with the dish…would the sauce compliment it? It looks absolutely devine, but I’m sick of mashed potatoes right now haha!
Erica says
Yes, rice would definitely be a great substitute! Let us know how you like it 😀
Katie says
How many servings does this make? It’s just me and my husband and we’re pretty bad at eating leftovers.
Emily says
It feeds about 4 to 6 people, if you weren’t wanting leftovers I would definitely half the recipe.
Emma Jane says
I added a teaspoon of flour to thicken it up. I also added chopped mushrooms to the sauce and boiled it for a few minutes to cook them. I served it with French green beans and some ‘sauce-dippin’ bread.’ Both the chicken and sauce were outstanding! My new boyfriend loved it! The best way to a man’s heart…LOL.
Echo says
Absolutely! Thank you for the tips and serving suggestions. I’m so glad this recipe was a success.
Karen Higgins says
Do you use the canned grated Parmesan, or do you grate fresh Parmesan?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I use the grated parmesan from the deli section of the grocery store!
Baltisraul says
I made last night and topped fried chicken with sauce. It was great. Gravy (sauce) over fried chicken is an old Southern tradition and this is a nice alternative to chicken gravy. Next time I will try over boneless-skinless chicken thighs.
Tiffany says
I made this for my family and they all loved it! Thanks for the great recipe!
Traci says
Can’t wait to try the recipe, but can you please clarify if you cook the chicken all the way through in the skillet? The instructions say to just “brown it on both sides”. Thanks!
Echo says
Yes, the chicken cooks in the skillet and is just kept warm in the oven while you make the sauce. I like to place each chicken breast between two pieces of wax paper and pound with a mallet so the chicken breasts are all about the same thickness before I cook it in the skillet or fry pan. As you brown it on both sides on medium, the chicken will cook thoroughly. Thank you for your question and for visiting our site!
Linda says
Can I make this with thighs instead? My family doesn’t care for chicken breasts. Obviously I couldn’t pound them though.
Erica says
We have never tried it with thighs, let us know if you try it and how it turns out!
Kathy Bruner says
Made this chicken dish for dinner tonight, it was delicious! The chicken was so tender, my husband LOVED IT! Many thanks!
Jackie Watkins says
Oh, my stars. This is as wonderful and delicious as I thought it would be when I read the recipe. Such an elegant, yet easy dish. This is going into the regular dinner rotation.
Erica says
Yay! So glad you liked it! It is definitely one of my very favorites too!