A truly moist and deliciously crispy walnut, parmesan, and panko baked chicken breast recipe. Ready for week night meals or a fancy date night dinner.
Before you jump to the recipe, find out more.
- Why you will love this recipe
- Five tips for super crunchy breaded chicken that sticks!
- Recipe substitutions and serving suggestions
Why you will love this baked chicken breast recipe.
This chicken recipe is all you want it to be–moist and tender inside, crunchy and flavorful outside.
The earthy flavor from the walnuts and the sharp salty richness of the Parmesan, along with panko, create a beautiful crunchy coating that stays on the chicken (following tips below).
This recipe takes about 40-60 minutes (with 15 minute rest time), perfect for weeknight meals or a fancy weekend dinner. Try it with Hot Honey Sweet Potato Wedges With Feta and Bacon.
Tips for a super crunchy baked chicken with a coating that sticks!
First, let’s start with the basic breading process. Typically this involves covering the chicken breast in a very light coating of flour, then a dip in egg, and then the breading mixture.
Within this process are a few tips I researched and tested for a crunchy, coated baked chicken breast recipe that sticks.
Tip 1. Thoroughly dry the chicken breasts.
To help a coating stay crunchy on chicken breast, the key is to thoroughly dry the chicken before the breading process. A paper towel or napkin works well for this.
You can also leave the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator to dry it out.
Tip 2. Add cornstarch to the flour.
Adding cornstarch to the initial coating with flour gives you that perfect, crispy coating that’s golden brown and stays crunchy longer, whether you’re baking or frying the chicken.
Cornstarch helps absorb excess moisture from the chicken, which helps the breading stick better and prevents it from becoming too wet or clumpy during cooking.
The ratio of cornstarch seems to differ amongst the experts, but it seems replacing 1/4 of the flour with cornstarch is the most common.
Be sure to shake off the extra flour/cornstarch mixture! This is key for ensuring the crust adheres after baking.
If you want an even crispier result, you may also combine cornstarch with rice flour instead of regular flour, which is commonly used in Asian cooking.
Tip 3. Press the coating mixture on the chicken.
After the flour/cornstarch coating, dip the chicken in the egg batter and then the walnuts/panko/parmesan.
Be generous with the coating and pat it down gently on all sides.
Well-coated chicken is the key to crunchy cutlets, so make sure the breading is patted down before cooking.
Tip 4. Give it a chill!
Allow the coated chicken breasts to chill on a cooling rack or baking sheet pan in the refrigerator about 15 minutes before baking.
Tip 5. Elevate your chicken.
Baking the breaded chicken on an oven safe cooling rack allows the heat to circulate around the chicken. Or, a baking sheet pan works fine on the lower rack of the oven.
Be sure to allow space between chicken pieces to allow for even heat distribution whether baking on a rack or on a sheet pan.
Recipe substitutions.
Parmesan Cheese: Pecorino Romano cheese can be used instead of Parmesan, though Pecorino is saltier than Parmesan. Go lighter on the initial seasoning of the chicken.
Walnuts: Almonds or pecans can be used in place of walnuts.
Seasoning: Rosemary would go well with this chicken along with the thyme or in place of. A little rosemary goes a long way. Start with 1/4 teaspoon.
Serving Suggestions.
I absolutely love Maple Dijon vinaigrette on this chicken. Drizzle on just before serving.
A nice side dish for this baked chicken recipe is Roasted Sweet Potato Mash, Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts, or Hot Honey Sweet Potato Wedges.
Crispy Walnut Parmesan Baked Chicken
A truly moist baked chicken breast recipe with a crispy walnut, parmesan, and panko coating.
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Ingredients
4 c hicken breasts, about 6 oz. each
sea salt or kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup cup panko bread crumbs, unseasoned
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
c ooking spray
Directions
- Prepare a baking sheet pan with cooking spray or a thin layer of olive oil. If using an oven safe cooling rack for baking (see tips in post–elevate your chicken), spray lightly with cooking spray.
- If needed, pound chicken so it is an even thickness. Thoroughly dry the chicken with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Add sea salt or kosher salt to the palm of your hand, take a pinch, and sprinkle over chicken holding hand about a foot above chicken for an even season. Repeat on other side. Add pepper to taste.
- Set up three stations for breading. (1) Combine flour and cornstarch on a flat plate. (2) Mix eggs and Dijon mustard in a bowl large enough to fit the chicken for dipping. (3) Combine walnuts, panko, and Parmesan with thyme, granulated onion and garlic, and a few turns of fresh pepper on a plate.
- One at a time, lightly dip the dry chicken breasts in the flour/cornstarch mixture making sure to have a light coating. Shake off excess. You want a very light coating. Dip in egg, covering both sides, and allow extra to drip off of chicken. Then set on top of the panko, walnut, cheese breading and press chicken into coating. Flip chicken over and coat the other side and press again. Move to greased baking sheet pan or a rack over top of a sheet pan.
- Allow chicken with coating to rest in refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F while chicken is resting.
- Remove from refrigerator and spray chicken with cooking spray. Bake on lower rack of oven and flip the chicken after 12 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes total or until the chicken reaches just under 165F. Let rest for a few minutes to reach 165F and juices to set in the chicken. Chicken is cooked at 165 degrees F. This recipe was cooked consistently in 20 minutes, but please temperature test your chicken.
- Drizzle with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Notes
- Following the italicized tips within the recipe will help ensure a crunchy baked chicken that sticks. For more details, the blog post above the recipe provides additional insight.
- Pecorino Romano cheese can be used instead of Parmesan, though Pecorino is saltier than Parmesan. You may need to go lighter on the initial seasoning of the chicken.
- Almonds or pecans can be used in place of walnuts. Be sure the nuts are finely ground.
- Leftovers should be refrigerated in a covered container for up to three days.
- Reheat leftover chicken in the oven at 350 F. on a heat proof wire rack or sheet pan for 10-15 minutes. This chicken goes well over salad.
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A few side dish suggestions.
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