Crispy Baked Panko Chicken

This 30-minute Crispy Baked Panko Chicken is the easy dinner recipe you've been searching for. Kitchen staples like panko bread crumbs, chicken breast, and parmesan cheese combine together effortlessly to make a healthy, baked, flavorful chicken dish.

Panko Chicken has the perfect amount of flavor and crunch in every single bite. Breading the chicken only takes a few minutes, and then the oven does the rest of the work.

Before breading the chicken, I recommend tenderizing or pounding the chicken with a meat mallet. This step is the secret to juicy and tender baked chicken!

Panko bread crumbs are a pantry staple for me! I use them in my recipes for Baked Panko Cod, Pesto Crusted Salmon, Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets, and most of my meatball and meatloaf recipes!

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• Ingredients needed
• Equipment needed
• How to make Baked Panko Chicken
• What to serve with
• Recipe variations and substitutions
• How to store and reheat
• More chicken recipes you'll love
• Frequently asked questions
• 📖 Recipe
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Ingredients needed

Chicken breast: You'll need boneless skinless chicken breast. Trim any large pieces of fat and tendons around the edges. Trimming the fat takes a little bit of extra time, but it guarantees a more tasty, baked chicken. I always take time to do this!

Breading: The breading for Panko Baked Chicken consists of about 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, shredded parmesan cheese (or freshly grated parmesan cheese), all-purpose flour, two eggs, and a seasoning blend. Panko bread crumbs are Japanese-style bread crumbs, sold in most grocery stores next to traditional bread crumbs.

Seasoning: The seasoning blend contains kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

*A detailed ingredient list can be found in the recipe card below.

Equipment needed

• Mixing bowls - You'll need 3, medium-sized, shallow mixing bowls. The bowls will hold the flour, eggs, and panko bread crumbs used for breading the panko breaded chicken.
• Baking sheet with a baking rack - Using a baking sheet and a cooling rack allows air to flow under the panko-crusted chicken. This guarantees crispy baked chicken on all sides. You can still make this recipe without a baking rack, the bottom of the panko chicken will not get crispy though.
• Measuring spoons

How to make Baked Panko Chicken

Step 1: Lay the chicken breast out on a flat surface. I like to cover my surface with parchment paper, then lay the chicken breast on top of the parchment. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top of the chicken breast. Pound (tenderize) the chicken breast with a meat mallet or a rolling pin, until each chicken breast is about 1 inch thick.

Step 2: Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl. Coat both sides of each chicken breast in the seasoning blend.

Step 3: Measure the flour out into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into a separate mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the panko bread crumbs and the shredded parmesan cheese into a third mixing bowl.

Step 4: Bread the chicken. Coat each side of the chicken breast in flour, then dip into the whisked eggs, and then press both sides of the chicken into the panko parmesan blend.

The breading order is flour, eggs, then panko. Repeat these steps with each chicken breast.

Step 5: Transfer the panko chicken to your baking sheet plus cooling rack. Bake the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes at 425°F. Check for doneness using a digital meat thermometer. Continue cooking the chicken if they have not yet reached an internal temperature of 165°F.

When the chicken has finished cooking, remove them from the oven and let them rest on the cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Transfer the baked panko chicken to a cutting board, slice into bite-sized pieces and serve immediately!

Baked Panko Chicken has the most flavor and crispiness if they are served as soon as they come out of the oven! They'll lose their crispy texture if you let them cool down for too long.

What to serve with

Delicious chicken dinner recipes are so easy to pair with side dishes. I like to serve panko crusted chicken with Baked Potatoes (without foil), Redskin Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Basmati Rice, Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash, Asparagus Salad, and Roasted Green Beans and Carrots.

Recipe variations and substitutions

Gluten-free: To make this recipe gluten free, substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free panko bread crumbs.

Dairy-free: To make this recipe dairy-free, eliminate the parmesan cheese. You will not sacrifice flavor or texture if you remove this ingredient.

Chicken: The chicken breasts can be substituted with chicken cutlets. If you use chicken cutlets, you can skip the step where you pound out the chicken breast pieces.

Seasoning: I love the seasoning blend that I created for this panko chicken recipe, you can get creative with your own blend though! An all-purpose seasoning would also work.

How to store and reheat

How to store: Store leftover chicken in a glass, air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend making this recipe in advance because the chicken will lose its crispiness as it's cooled down.

How to reheat: The best way to reheat panko chicken is in the oven or in a skillet on the stovetop.

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