Our Parmesan crusted chicken casserole is a hearty, delicious meal loaded with creamy, cheesy flavor. Fried Parmesan crusted chicken, creamy ranch sauce, pasta, and a Parmesan crumb topping create a dish you can’t resist.
We’re both busy moms, so we love our casserole recipes. Hearty, easy meals like pepperoni lasagna, ham and cheese hash brown casserole, and spicy chicken enchiladas with green sauce make it simple to create a feast for any meal of the day.
Our newest addition is this Parmesan chicken casserole. We coat chicken breast chunks in a seasoned Parmesan and panko blend and fry them until crispy. Then, we mix them with past in creamy ranch sauce, top them with a Parmesan crumb, and bake until bubbly.
This easy recipe is a full meal that’s delicious with equally easy desserts like chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips, peach crisp, or banana bars.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich and Creamy: The homemade ranch sauce gives the dish a rich, creamy texture.
- Bold Flavor: Ranch, Parmesan, and zesty seasonings in both the chicken breading and topping create big, bold flavor in every bite.
- Versatile: This casserole makes a great dinner or addition to any potluck or gameday get-together.
- Customizable: You can easily switch up the ingredients to create different recipes.
- Simple Ingredients: Everything you need for this recipe is either in your kitchen or your local grocery store.
- So Easy: This is a simple recipe that even beginners can easily make.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a complete list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese adds an earthy, cheesy flavor to both the fried chicken and the crumb topping.
- Ranch Seasoning: A ranch seasoning packet gives the homemade ranch creamy sauce its signature flavor.
- Seasonings: A blend of garlic powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning creates a bold, zesty, slightly hot flavor profile in both the breading and the crumb topping.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella cheese added to the top of the casserole makes it extra cheesy and ooey-gooey.
Variations
- Chicken: This dish can be made with cubed pork or steak. You can also make a tasty shrimp version.
- Mild: Omit the red pepper flakes for a milder version.
- Mozzarella: Your favorite shredded cheese can be used in place of mozzarella. Almost any of them will work, so have fun experimenting.
- Bacon: Add bacon for a delicious bacon ranch version.
How to Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken Casserole
Step 1: Create a dredging station with shallow containers of flour, eggs, and the seasoned panko mixture. Dredge the chicken in that order.
Step 2: Fry the chicken, a few at a time, until golden and reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Step 3: In the same pan, saute the onions and bell pepper until tender. Then, add flour and cook for a couple of minutes.
Step 4: Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then simmer until it thickens. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a light boil, and simmer for a few minutes more.
Step 5: Mix the crumb topping ingredients. Then, mix the pasta and creamy sauce and pour into a prepared baking dish.
Step 6: Top with mozzarella, then the fried chicken and parmesan crumb topping. Bake until melty, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Cut your chicken into 1-inch cubes for easy eating and even frying.
- Give the chicken a gentle tap after each dredge to create the perfect, even coating.
- Scrape out any bits of chicken before making your ranch sauce. Save them and add them on top of the casserole before baking.
- Cook your pasta to al dente and no further. The casserole will bake for about 15 minutes, and you don’t want your noodles to get mushy.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Casserole FAQs
The secret to a crispy coating is the temperature. Ensure your oil is completely preheated and work in small batches to keep the oil hot. This ensures the coating immediately crisps and creates a barrier that prevents the oil from soaking into the breading.
You can refrigerate this casserole for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Freezing is not recommended because the cream in the sauce will separate when defrosted.
Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, Brussels sprouts, or any of your other favorites are excellent sides for this casserole.
Tasty Pairings for This Casserole
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Parmesan Crusted Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 ounce mini bowtie pasta
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Chicken
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs, crushed
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon slap ya mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
Creamy Ranch Sauce
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, stem, seeds removed, chopped
- 32 ounce chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup ranch seasoning packet
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Parmesan Crumb Topping
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Chicken
- Set up a dredging station with 3 shallow containers.
- In the first container add flour, the second container whisk eggs, and in the third container stir panko, Parmesan, and seasonings together until combined.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, then eggs, and lastly in the panko mixture.
- Fry chicken pieces about 6-8 at a time until browned, and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels.
Creamy Ranch Sauce
- Scrape out any bits of chicken and melt butter over medium heat.
- Saute onions and bell pepper until tender, approximately 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over the veggies, stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pan and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium/low, stirring frequently. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add heavy cream, ranch, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a light boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Parmesan Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl, add bread crumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and seasonings. Stir to combine.
- In a large pot filled with water, heat over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook to al dente. Drain and add to the creamy sauce. Stir.
- Pour creamy pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Add shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta mixture, followed by the fried chicken pieces, and lastly, sprinkle the Parmesan crumb topping on top.
- Bake until the cheese is melty, approximately 15-20 minutes.
Notes
- Cut your chicken into 1-inch cubes for easy eating and even frying.
- Give the chicken a gentle tap after each dredge to create the perfect, even coating.
- Scrape out any bits of chicken before making your ranch sauce. Save them and add them on top of the casserole before baking.
- Cook your pasta to al dente and no further. The casserole will bake for about 15 minutes, and you don’t want your noodles to get mushy.
This is super trasty. I love the creamy pasta with the crispy chicken. And it’s so easy!
Killer recipe. The pasta and sauce were perfect, and that crispy chicken was great. We enjoyed it.
The chicken stayed juicy and the topping was nice and crispy. Everyone asked for seconds!
I made these for dinner tonight and that parmesan crust is incredible! It stayed so crispy while the inside was perfectly juicy. My family loved it!
I knew this was going to be a good recipe when I read Parm crusted! It came out delicious..truly such a comforting meal.