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Crispy parmesan garlic chicken with zucchini is a fantastic one-pan meal that the family will love. Crispy chicken is breaded with an amazing parmesan garlic crust paired with tender zucchini sautéed to perfection!
With easy prep, no mess, and big flavor, one-pan meals are the best! Vegetable curry, chili lime chicken, and fajitas are some of my other favorites to add to the dinner lineup this week!
One-Pan Parmesan Garlic Chicken With Zucchini Recipe
Zucchini is my favorite vegetable, so as you can imagine, I get pretty excited when it is actually in season! My favorite way to eat zucchini is to sauté it until tender. I decided to put my favorite textures together in this dish- fresh and tender zucchini with flavorful, crispy chicken. Enhancing these tasty foods with the amazing flavors of parmesan and garlic seemed like the best course of action from there, and boy did it create a mouthwatering dish! It coats the chicken perfectly and gives the whole dish an incredible crispy texture. The awesome thing about this recipe is that I had all of the ingredients on hand. So, for those times when you are staring into the depths of your pantry, wondering what you can make that is tasty, healthy, and not overly time-consuming, this crispy chicken with zucchini recipe is the answer.
My entire family devours it. We cannot get enough of the crispy flavorful crust on the chicken. And the best part of it all? It is packed with protein while also being low in fats and carbs! Honestly, this is like the healthy, KFC-Esque dinner of my dreams. As if you needed more reasons to make this, it all goes in one pan, leaving you with fewer dishes to do! Just 30 minutes will create a nutritious, keto-friendly meal loaded with savory and crispy goodness. Your wallet, diet, and stomach will thank you.
Chicken With Zucchini Ingredients
This is the perfect recipe for using leftover zucchini and chicken breasts! Just a few additional pantry staples with leave you with the most flavorful, delicious result. You can find each individual measurement in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts: For this recipe, I use boneless and skinless chicken breasts. You can either slice 2 large breasts in half or use 4 thin chicken breasts.
- Butter: This will be used for sauteing. Also, it gives your chicken and zucchini a tasty rich flavor and helps them to cook up perfectly.
- Italian Bread Crumbs: I like using Italian bread crumbs for a touch of flavor, but you can also opt for whole wheat bread crumbs to keep it health-conscious.
- Grated Parmesan: Parmesan is what is going to give your dish its perfect, cheesy flavor. It also crisps up perfectly to help you achieve the best texture!
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe to give structure to the breading. You can also use whole wheat flour as an alternative.
- Zucchini: I use medium-sized zucchini in this recipe, sliced.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic makes all the difference in getting the perfect, savory flavor. Minced cloves work best.
How To Make Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken and Zucchini
You are going to love how easily this recipe comes together for those quick weeknight dinners! You get restaurant-quality flavors without all the effort.
- Prepare Skillet: In a large skillet, over medium heat melt 2 Tablespoons of butter.
- Bread Chicken: Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and flour. Dip the chicken in the butter and then coat in the bread crumb mixture and place in skillet.
- Cook: Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes until the outside is crispy and the chicken is cooked throughout. Set aside on plate.
- Saute Zucchini: Add 2 Tablespoons of butter back to the skillet and saute the minced garlic for a minute. Add the zucchini to the skillet and saute until tender. Salt and pepper to taste and add 1 Tablespoon parmesan. Add the chicken back to the skillet and heat for a minute or so. Serve immediately.
Parmesan Garlic Chicken and Zucchini Quick Tips
This dish is super easy and super delicious, but try out some of these simple tips to get the best result every time!
- Season Chicken: You can season your chicken with salt and pepper or Italian seasoning before breading for an extra pop of flavor.
- Breading Will Not Stick: If you are having trouble getting your breading to stick, make sure your skillet is hot and butter is melted. Then, once you add your chicken to the pan, try not to move it until that side has cooked completely. Moving it prematurely can pull off all the crispy goodness.
- Use a Thermometer: To avoid overcooking your chicken, I always recommend using a thermometer. Stop cooking once your internal temperatures reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, you could end up with chicken that is too dry.
- Zucchini: You will want any zucchini you use to be slightly firm. If it is too soft, it won’t get that perfect tender sautéed texture. Also, keep the skin on! It isn’t hard to bite through and actually has a lot of nutritional benefits like stimulating collagen production and boosting your immune system!
- Uniform Slices: It is important to try and keep zucchini slices roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
Storing Leftover Parmesan Garlic Chicken and Zucchini
Not only is this recipe easy to make, but it also stores like a champ! Kids can easily heat it up for a tasty, nutritious lunch.
- In the Refrigerator: Chicken and zucchini will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: In an airtight container, store your chicken and zucchini in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: The best way to retain moisture in your chicken while also keeping it crispy is to reheat it in a skillet. Cook over medium until internal temperatures reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir zucchini pieces often to ensure they cook through completely.
What to Serve With Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Parmesan garlic chicken and zucchini is a dish that can easily be served on its own. But for more healthy carbs, you could serve this up with a scoop of brown rice. It also tastes amazing alongside other crispy foods like fries or chips. Have an overload of zucchini at home? You could even make baked zucchini fries as a healthier side.
More Zucchini Favorites
My family and I cannot get enough of this versatile summer vegetable! Whether you use it for a side dish or the entrée, its tender texture and ability to absorb flavor is unmatched. Take advantage of zucchini being in season and try out some of my other favorite zucchini recipes! They are so delicious, I know you and your family will go crazy over them!
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Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Zucchini
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts sliced in half, or 4 thin chicken breasts
- 8 Tablespoons butter divided
- ½ cup Italian Bread Crumbs
- ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon grated parmesan divided
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 medium zucchini sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat melt 2 Tablespoons butter. To make the chicken: Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and flour. Dip the chicken in the butter and then coat in the bread crumb mixture and place in skillet.
- Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes until the outside is crispy and the chicken is cooked throughout. Set aside on plate.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of butter back to the skillet and saute the minced garlic for a minute. Add the zucchini to the skillet and saute until tender. Salt and pepper to taste and add 1 Tablespoon parmesan. Add the chicken back to the skillet and heat for a minute or so. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This dish is a keeper! Fast, easy and delicious! I sliced each chicken breast in half so they would cook through faster. For the 2 of us, this makes enough for 2 meals! We froze it and reheated and it was just as good.
How did you reheat it?
Really good! The first time I made this I followed the recipe as stated. We preferred our zucchini crisper so the next time I cooked chicken and zucchini in separate pans and we liked it better.
Really good!
Overall this dish was good and very easy. My largest issue was the insane amount of butter that this recipe called for. Our plates were covered in butter even after trying to drain the excess, wished it could have a healthier version.
You can substitute Olive oil for butter (or do half oo half butter), and egg for coating the chicken as well to make it a little healthier, and it shouldn’t affect the taste too much
Use olive oil or less butter
I made this dish today for Mother’s Day. I sliced the chicken breasts in half and then poked holes in them to help cook through. I added a little season to the chicken, dipped in butter then tossed them in a Ziploc bag to coat them with the bread crumb mix. Also I added extra butter as needed to keep butter from turning black. The dish came out great for my first. It was delicious! Will definitely make again.
Turned out really good, I’ll make again but will let breading mixture sit on chicken a little longer, like 10-15 minutes so it sticks more to chicken. Was easy to scrape breading with zucchini onto chicken afterwards but got a little messy for cleaning up
The crust on the chicken was perfect although kind of tends to come off, so handle with care. I concur with Alexis regarding keeping it thin. Recipe should specify target thickness. I envisioned the zukes being extremely boring so made a seasoning blend (basil, marjoram, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, black pepper, savory, paprika celery salt, dill weed) for them and also used the extra cheese/breadcrumbs on them. We greatly enjoyed. Be sure not to overcook the zucchini before returning the meat to the pan. You really just need to get it nicely hot.
I make mine keto friendly by grinding pork rinds to replace breadcrumbs.👍👍
You really have to make sure the chicken is sliced thin enough to cook all the way through in the pan. Maybe after halving the chicken, use a meat mallet to thin the chicken. THEN cook 3-4 min per side. I didn’t notice that and the thicker pieces took so long the butter started burning. If you do have thicker pieces, you could brown in the pan then bake. Overall a pretty good outcome and very tasty!
I used breast and thigh meat, also added an onion and a summer squash. It was delicious.
Thanks for sharing. Super yummy
I just made this and it was delicious! I used asparagus because that’s what I had and I’ll be making this regularly.
I am lucky that my husband does most of the cooking, but during basketball season (he’s a high school boys varsity coach) I have been trying to make more dinners. This was so good! The kids all loved the chicken. I used broccoli instead of zucchini because that’s what I had on hand. I also baked sweet potatoes. Next time I have to try to eliminate some butter and use olive oil to make it a little healthier.
This was delicious!
This is absolutely delicious! Will cut down on the butter next time though.
This is a regular recipe in my household! Everyone loves it!