Crispy corn flake coated Chicken Parmesan is an easy, delectable weeknight recipe and is perfect served with al dente pasta.
This is weeknight dinner Heaven right here. Crispy, crunchy juicy chicken cooked in a rich tomato sauce topped with ALL the mozzarella and fresh basil. I mean, are you drooling yet? And the trick to making this recipe so amazing? Good old corn flakes.
The idea for this recipe came to me a while ago when one weekend, the kids were asking for crispy chicken. There was not a single, solitary piece of bread to turn into crumbs in this house, my Panko breadcrumb stash had been depleted and the last of the frozen breadcrumbs had been used and I was desperate. Thank goodness for that forgotten box of corn flakes in the corner.
How do you make chicken Parmesan crispy?
There is nothing that makes crispy crumbs as well as corn flakes. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Corn flakes are already crispy so frying them will just result in more crunch and if you want crispy chicken Parmesan, this is for sure the way to go.
Because there is so much crunch already involved, you could happily bake the coated chicken breasts instead of frying if you wish and then just pop them into the rich, delectable sauce.
What is the best sauce to use for chicken Parmesan?
The sauce I used is an old Marinara recipe of mine but honestly, any good tomato-based sauce will work here. I think the Balsamic cherry tomato sauce I made as a pizza sauce a while ago will be just as delicious.
The crispy chicken is baked in this sauce topped with mozzarella until the cheese is all melty and delicious. Top the Chicken Parmesan with fresh basil and serve on cooked pasta for a delectable weeknight dinner. A loaf of crusty bread will work just as well to mop up all the delicious sauce.
What to serve with Chicken Parmesan:
- Al dente pasta
- Easy side salad with lemon dressing
- Garlic butter dinner rolls
Crispy chicken recipes:
- Parmesan crusted chicken
- Corn flake crusted chicken strips with honey mustard sauce
- Crispy chicken pops

Crispy corn flake Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
for the chicken
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 cups corn flakes
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pepper to taste
- 4 chicken breasts
- oil for frying
for the sauce
- 3 cupsMarinara sauce
for the topping
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil sliced
to serve
- cooked pasta of your choice
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- Place the corn flakes in a ziploc bag and bash with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.
- Tip into a flat bowl with the grated Parmesan and season with salt, pepper and dried oregano.
- In another bowl, combine the flour with ½ teaspoon salt and place the eggs in another bowl.
- Flatten each chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Cover each piece of chicken first in the flour, then in the eggs and finally in the corn flake crumbs.
- Heat 2 cups of oil in a large frying pan/skillet and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides then remove from the oil and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
- Pour the marinara sauce (or any other savory tomato sauce of your choice) into an oven-proof pan then add the fried chicken. Top with grated mozzarella and place in the oven.
- Bake the chicken until the mozzarella has just melted then remove and scatter over the sliced basil.
- Serve with cooked pasta.
I made it last night and it was absolutely delicious! I went to make chicken parmesan and realized I was out of panko. I did some googling and found this recipe. I will definitely make it again!
Alida, this is one of our family’s favorite dinners. So cool how you made it with cornflakes. Definitely have to try it!
The cornflakes add SO much crunch, your family will love it. 🙂
My guests are coming over, so I am going to try it today! Thanks it’s hassle free but still looks divine.
I hope you and your guests love it!
Wow Alida! I’m totally drooling over this one! My husband Tom is going to LOVE this!
Thanks Mary Ann! It’s a goodie. 😉
I can’t believe you said the “C” word. Yikes! My family loves chicken parm and I have never breaded the chicken with corn flakes. What a cool idea! Can’t wait to give it a try.
😀 Too early for you? I’d love to hear what you think once you’ve tried it!
How long would you bake the chicken for of you didn’t want to fry it? This looks so delicious!
I would bake for 10-15 minutes at 200°c on a roasting rack set over a cookie sheet/roasting pan. That way the coating will stay nice and crisp. 🙂
Wowzer that looks so good.
Thanks Jenni!
OHHHHMYGODDDDDD!!! This looks SO GOOD!!!!!! Pinned and can’t wait to try!! xoxo
Thanks lovely!
This looks amazing, I love the idea of using corn flakes to make it so crispy.
Thanks Amy. Yeah, the corn flakes are magic in this.