Welcome to Jesse Fixes Dinner, a series in which food editor Jesse Szewczyk shares his best tricks for effortless weeknight cooking.
Within the realm of comfort foods, chicken Parmesan ranks pretty darn close to the top. It’s a rib-sticking, cheesy, red sauce classic that’s practically impossible to dislike. But making it from scratch isn’t the most weeknight-friendly affair. Between breading chicken cutlets, making a homemade, slow-simmered red sauce, assembling, and baking, it takes a good amount of time (and effort) to whip up—not to mention the time it takes to boil pasta separately, if you’re inclined to serve it that way. (Which, let’s be honest: Is the only way to serve chicken Parmesan.)
Lucky for you, you can make a weeknight-friendly version that hits all of the marks without having to put in much effort. Enter Weeknight Skillet Chicken Parmesan With Gnocchi; a stripped-down version of the classic that doesn’t compromise on flavor. It’s a corner-cutting, easier chicken parm experience that comes together in one pan.
The most labor-intensive part of traditional chicken parm is the chicken itself, so this was the first element I decided to streamline. Most recipes have you pound cutlets until they’re practically paper-thin, coat them in a multistep breading, and fry them. This version ditches the breading and opts for a quick dusting in flour instead. Just cut your breasts in half horizontally to make thin cutlets, toss them in flour, and cook them in the same skillet you’ll build the sauce in: one pan, 10 minutes, and no fuss.
After you cook your cutlets, it’s time to build your sauce. While many recipes have you slowly simmer a red sauce for hours on end, this recipe cooks the sauce in the same pan you cooked the chicken in. Using just canned tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, the sauce strips down your typical marinara in favor of a simplified version that tastes just as robust. It’s proof that a short ingredient list doesn’t mean less flavor, and that marinara doesn’t need an army of herbs or spices to shine.
For anyone nervous about cooking tomato sauce in a cast-iron skillet, don’t be: A well-seasoned skillet will hold up just fine to acidic tomato sauce; and the quick cooking time means there’s little risk at all. “Cast iron isn’t afraid of tomatoes,” says Emma Laperruque, senior cooking editor for Bon Appétit. “You shouldn’t be either. All you need is a sturdy seasoning on your pan. And once you free yourself from this myth, your skillet can really start to show off. Like with this chicken parm, or this caramelized cabbage.”
For the best chicken parm experience, you need a bed of pasta to rest your cheesy, saucy cutlets over. Typically this means cooking spaghetti in a second pot of boiling water, but this recipe opts for using shelf-stable gnocchi and throwing them directly into the sauce; no boiling required. During the last two minutes of simmering your red sauce, you’ll throw a pack of gnocchi in. The gnocchi will become perfectly tender from simmering in the sauce, creating the perfect bed to nestle your chicken cutlets on top of. Top the whole skillet with some cheese (use a low-moisture mozzarella here for the best texture, not fresh), broil it until melted and browned, and dinner is done.
The next time you crave chicken parmesan but can’t fathom making it entirely from scratch, turn to this skillet-ified version that’s just as good as the classic. Cut some corners, make life easier, and don’t look back: It’s a cheesy, comforting, red sauce classic made without the fuss.
