Olive Garden Chicken Parmigiana Recipe

This addictive Olive Garden chicken parmigiana is coated in crunchy parmesan breadcrumbs, topped with marinara sauce, and smothered with rich, melty mozzarella cheese. It's a restaurant-quality dish that's easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner!

Why I Love This Chicken Parmigiana Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

Chicken Parmigiana is one of those classic Italian comfort meals that never disappoints—and this homemade Olive Garden chicken parm recipe delivers all the same flavors you love from the restaurant, right in your own kitchen.

My grandma was Italian, and she was a tough food critic—especially when it came to traditional dishes like chicken parm. But she actually loved the version from Olive Garden, which honestly surprised me! Because she approved of it so much, I decided to create my own copycat version that lived up to her high standards—and I’m proud to say it passed the “grandma test.”

This recipe is everything you want in chicken parm: juicy, tender chicken coated in a golden, crispy Parmesan crust, topped with savory marinara sauce and plenty of melted mozzarella. It’s simple to make but tastes like a restaurant-quality meal that could easily impress dinner guests or satisfy a weeknight craving for Italian food.

For the full Olive Garden experience, serve it alongside my fried spaghetti and these Olive Garden breadsticks—it’s a combination guaranteed to make everyone at the table go back for seconds. And if you want to end the meal on a sweet note, you can’t go wrong with my Olive Garden tiramisu for dessert.

• 2 Chicken breasts- the main part of this dish.
• 1 Cup Flour- to first coat the chicken.
• 1 Cup Milk and 2 eggs- to help the breading stick.
• 1 Cup Italian breadcrumbs- to give the chicken that delicious, crunchy texture.
• ½ Cup Marinara sauce- for the base to top the chicken.
• ¼ Cup Grated parmesan cheese and 1 Cup mozzarella cheese- for the second part of classic chicken parm.
• Vegetable oil- for frying the chicken.
• Chopped parsley- for an optional garnish.
  

Another thing to love about this dish is that you can use most of these same ingredients to make some more Olive Garden recipes throughout the week like these cheese stuffed shells and crispy lasagna fritta.

Step 1: Prepare the Breading

 First, prepare three shallow bowls for the breading ingredients. In the first bowl, add the flour. In the second bowl, combine the milk and eggs. Then, in the third bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan.

Step 2: Bread the Chicken

Next, season the pounded chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. To bread the chicken, start by coating it in flour, making sure to cover all sides. Follow that up by dipping the coated chicken in the milk and egg mixture. Lastly, coat it evenly with the breadcrumbs, gently pressing them into the chicken so it gets evenly covered. 

Step 3: Pan Fry

Preheat the oven to broil or around 500°F (260°C) and prepare a sheet tray lined with tin foil. Then, heat some oil in a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, fry the breaded chicken for about 5 minutes on each side or until it’s fully cooked through and golden brown. Now, set the chicken on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

Step 4: Bake the Chicken

Place the fried chicken in a single layer on the lined sheet tray. Then, cover each piece with the marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese to create the chicken parmesan. Now, once that's all set, broil it in the oven until the cheese is melty and slightly golden, around 2-3 minutes. Finally, garnish the finished chicken parmigiana with fresh parsley and serve with spaghetti or your choice of sides.

Okay, so we rarely have leftovers in the Cunningham household because we always end up finishing every bite. Truth be told, I think this chicken parmigiana is at its crunchiest and tastiest when it's freshly made. But, if you do happen to have leftovers, you can store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

My favorite way to reheat the chicken is to place it on a baking sheet and bake it at 350°F (160°C) for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is warmed through and the cheese has remelted. 

Olive Garden Chicken Parmigiana FAQS

More Copycat Recipes To Try

• Olive Garden chicken marsala
• Olive Garden chicken scampi
• Olive Garden asiago tortelloni
• Olive Garden pasta e fagiloi
• Longhorn Steakhouse parmesan crusted chicken
• Cheesecake Factory pasta carbonara
• Cheesecake Factory truffle honey chicken