Giada De Laurentiis’s Sheet Pan Chicken Parm Is as Easy as It Is Delicious

Giada De Laurentiis is a bonafide Food Network queen and iconic TV personality: She’s hosted shows like Giada at Home and Giada Entertains that famously make you feel like you’ve just stepped into her kitchen to nosh on her signature Italian fare. But, lest you forget, she’s also an accomplished recipe developer and author, which are skills she shows off in her cookbook, Super-Italian: More Than 110 Indulgent Recipes Using Italy’s Healthiest Foods.

Our personal favorite among these divine recipes? Her easy, weeknight-ready, baked chicken parm. Yes, that’s right, baked. “Before you dismiss this lighter, brighter, bolder version of the classic — ‘Is that all the cheese you’re using!? It’s not even fried!!’ — give it a try,” De Laurentiis writes.

“I think you’ll agree that you get all the flavors you crave with a lot less fat (and greasy cleanup) than is usually part of the deal,” De Laurentiis continues. Which means that whoever’s doing dishes tonight will have a much easier time.

Worried that the meal isn’t traditional enough for your table? De Laurentiis advises that you use a more complex tomato sauce, like one of her own recipes or your favorite store-bought marinara. You can also sub Parmigiano-Reggiano for pecorino if that’s what you’ve got on hand. “You’ll still be way ahead of the game, healthwise,” she writes.

Sheet Pan Chicken “Parm” with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved, or 8 Campari tomatoes, diced
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ cup shredded fresh basil leaves
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 10 ounces each)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup garlicky bread crumbs
• ⅔ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 4 slices

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and stir until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the basil and remove from the heat.
4.  Meanwhile, one at a time, place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and, holding a sharp knife parallel to the board, slice horizontally into two equal cutlets. Using the heel of your hand (or the bottom of a wine bottle), pound the cutlets to a thin, even thickness. Repeat with the second breast.
5. Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat until homogenous. Combine the bread crumbs and ¾ cup of the pecorino in a second shallow bowl.
6. Season the chicken cutlets with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. One at a time, dip the cutlets first in the beaten egg and then in the cheesy crumbs, pressing the crumbs firmly to coat both sides. Place on the lined pan.
7. Bake the cutlets until golden, about 12 minutes. Flip and continue to bake until cooked through, another 6 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven (leaving the oven on) and top each breast with some of the tomato sauce. Tear each slice of mozzarella in 2 pieces and arrange on top of the sauce. Return to the oven until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle each cutlet with a bit more pecorino and serve hot.

Excerpted from Super-Italian by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2025 by Giada De Laurentiis. Used by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.