Improve The Crust On Chicken Parmesan With An Easy 3-Ingredient Breading

Chicken parmesan is a classic dish that is really married together by the breading — otherwise, you'd just be throwing cheese on chicken and calling it a day. While a breadcrumb crust is easy to make in theory, having the right ingredients is the key to a successful breading. Fortunately, all you need are three simple ingredients: fresh breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and buttermilk. Combining the three will not only give you that crunchy crust everyone dreams of, but it will boost the flavor of your meal and tie all the elements together.

The fresh breadcrumbs — which you can make by lightly baking a loaf and blending it in a food processor – act as a base for the parmesan bits. Then, the buttermilk helps add some moisture back, allowing the breading to stick to the chicken, but not to the pan. Note that only a small amount of parmesan and buttermilk are added to the breadcrumbs; this ensures crust doesn't get too wet but stays cohesive and tasty. Using this recipe — and incorporating one easy, extra step to stop breadcrumbs from falling off your chicken – creates the perfect crust for your chicken parmesan.

One of the keys to this crust is specifically using fresh breadcrumbs rather than store-bought brands. It can be a bit of a hassle using so much equipment, but learning how to make your own breadcrumbs without a food processor is as simple as can be — you can just use a cheese grater, which you'll already need for this recipe to begin with. This hack might be a bit messy, but it's a great substitute when you're working with less counter space.

Another thing to keep in mind is the simplicity of this breadcrumb mixture. Adding a dash of pepper to the breadcrumb mixture is a good idea, but otherwise, no other spices are needed. Some recipes call for adding Italian seasoning or garlic powder to the crust to strengthen the surrounding flavors, but this may interfere with how your crumbs stick to the chicken. Sticking to the simple, three-ingredient combo will reduce the prep time and potential for mess, and it works as the perfect crust for any chicken parmesan recipe.