Cook's Illustrated

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

Published January 1, 1900.

The best part of Chicken Parmesan is the crisp, golden coating—can you get the same flavor without frying the cutlets in a lot of fat?

The Problem

Low-fat Chicken Parmesan recipes usually bake rather than fry the breaded cutlets—a process that doesn't even come close to the flavor, color, or crispness of a traditional fried recipe.

The Goal

We wanted to develop a low-fat version of Chicken Parmesan—one actually worth eating.

The Solution

We found that if we first toasted the bread crumbs with a little oil before coating the chicken, it would give them flavor and color—enough so we could then bake the breaded cutlets on a rack in a 475-degree oven. Replacing the full-fat mozzarella with low-fat cheese also reduced fat. And to keep the cutlets crisp, we topped the individual cooked cutlets with sauce and mozzarella and heated them through on the rack rather than in a casserole dish.

list of recipes
America's Test Kitchen

America’s Test Kitchen is a 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and is the workday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television.