Baked Parmesan Chicken
Enjoy a meal of fall-off-the-bone chicken perfectly seasoned in a gravy of sauteed shallot, fresh parsley, and heavy cream. The meat is tender and the gravy is flavorful, which is delicious over rice or mashed potatoes. Baked Parmesan Chicken is a scrumptious, easy dinner the family will love.
Cooking this gravy and chicken makes your kitchen smell amazing and feel warm and cozy.
Spend a little time making the gravy, then pour the gravy over the seasoned chicken to bake. No worries, it’s easy.
Making Baked Parmesan Chicken
Start by putting your chicken directly into the baking dish. From here, season both sides with smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning, then set aside.
For this recipe, I used drumsticks, but other pieces work just as well. Bake time, however, will vary depending on the size of the pieces you cook.
To make the gravy, melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the shallot and cook until fragrant, two to three minutes.
Add the parsley, crushed red peppers, chicken stock, and lemon juice. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
Next, stir in the parmesan and heavy whipping cream. Allow to simmer, stirring often, to melt the cheese, two to three minutes.
Once the cheese is melted and stringy, pour over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Each piece should be evenly coated in the gravy.
Then, bake uncovered in a preheated oven set at 375° for 1 hour, 45 minutes.
The chicken literally pulls away from the bone when you bake with drumsticks, which is why I chose them for this recipe. When in doubt, use a meat thermometer. Chicken is done at 165°.
Several factors can change your bake time. First, the size of your chicken pieces. The bigger they are, the longer they bake. Second, the chicken will cook faster if they were room temperature before you put them into the oven. If they were cold, they will take longer to bake. Lastly, ovens vary from oven to oven. Nothing we can do there.
Also, flip the pieces halfway through, and that’s it. Time to eat!
Serving Baked Parmesan Chicken
Baking the chicken right in it’s own gravy sure is convenient. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes to compliment the gravy, which is loaded with flavor.
For all you gravy lovers out there, nobody is going to be mad at you for doubling the gravy. Actually, I plan on using that gravy/sauce on other things, as well. After all, something that good deserves to be repeated.
Also, if you have any leftovers (as if!), store in a sealed container for up to four days in the refrigerator.
Chicken Recipes
Or, click HERE for a full list of chicken recipes, which includes baked, skillet cooked, and slow cooked.
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Baked Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients
The Chicken:
- 12 drumsticks (or 10 thighs, etc.)
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp. chicken seasoning (any brand – I used No Salt Chicken)
- 1 tsp. each salt and black pepper
The Sauce/Gravy:
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
The Chicken:
- In a large baking dish, lay the chicken in single layer. Season both sides with smoked paprika, chicken seasoning, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°.
The Sauce/Gravy:
- Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the parsley, red pepper, chicken stock, and lemon juice. Bring to low boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and cream, and let simmer until cheese melts, approx. 2 – 3 minutes.
- Pour sauce over seasoned chicken. Chicken should be evenly coated with sauce. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, 45 minutes, turning over half way through. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Baked Parmesan Chicken
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