One-Pan Spicy Parmesan Chicken
I feel like kicking up my heels and doing a little dance because today I present to you a brand new recipe for chicken breasts, that tried and true (and dare I say, tired) classic. Finally! It’s been a long time since I’ve found a simple chicken dish that all of us love enough to make 3 times in 3 weeks (think I can go for a fourth, or is that pushing it?). Anyway, since this week is all about love, I wanted to spread the joy and share this wonderful new One-Pan Spicy Parmesan Chicken. Let me count the ways I love thee!
First off, this is one of those pantry staple recipes—no weird or hard-to-find ingredients, just chicken (duh), garlic, spices and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which means that you can turn to this without a lot of preplanning. You’re in major like now, right?
Second (and you may have guessed this from the one pan part in the title—what is it with me and parentheses today?) this is also quick and easy in all areas, prep, cooking and cleanup.
Once you season the chicken, it simply gets baked, topped with Parm, baked a little more and then broiled so that everything gets crispy and brown and perfect!
It’s so versatile too. Pretty much goes with whatever side you’re making. Last time, I served it with rice and these Spicy Seared Green Beans, another quickie!
And finally, there’s the amazing taste—hard to believe when there’s so little involved, but every bite is tender and spicy (in the good way—there we go with the asides again) with little crunchy bits of golden Parmesan cheese everywhere, including the pieces that get stuck to the baking sheet which you’ll definitely want to nibble on. You’ve officially tumbled into head over heels territory, right?
And that my friends, is a little bit of love from me to you. Happy almost Valentine’s Day!
One-Pan Spicy Parmesan Chicken
Makes 4-5 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: About 45 minutes
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil, plus a little extra for the pan
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 shakes cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you want these pretty thin—if they’re thick, slice them in half lengthwise)
1 ½ cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and pour on a little olive oil, spreading it out to coat the pan. Lay the chicken out on the pan.
2. Mix the remaining oil with the spices and pour it over the chicken. Use your hands to rub it all over the chicken so that all the pieces are well coated. Lay the chicken out in a single layer, spacing the pieces a little.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven and sprinkle on the Parmesan. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the cheese is golden and melted. Turn on the broiler and cook the chicken for a few minutes until everything is sizzling. Watch carefully—this can go from perfect to burned very quickly. Serve immediately and enjoy the crusty, cheesy bites stuck to the foil. Cook’s prerogative!
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen. I tinkered with spice proportions and cooking methods. We like our chicken pretty well done so I baked the chicken first without the Parmesan, then sprinkled it on and baked it some more before running it under the broiler. If you want it less we’ll done or are using very thin cutlets, you could just put the cheese on right away and bake for 30 minutes until the broiling part.
