Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Recreate Longhorn’s Parmesan Crusted Chicken at home! Juicy chicken, creamy cheese sauce, and a crispy, cheesy Panko topping make this dish irresistible!
AN EASY RESTAURANT COPYCAT RECIPE
If you’ve ever been to Longhorn Steakhouse, you know their Parmesan Crusted Chicken is a standout favorite. I know the first thought is “Why have chicken when you’re at a steakhouse?” Well, if you are going to serve chicken at a steak restaurant it better be good, right? And they have managed to do that really, really well. Juicy, tender chicken topped with a rich, cheesy crust – perfect! I knew I needed to recreate this restaurant fan fave at home. Don’t worry, it may look complicated, but it really is so easy to create.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
They cook the chicken under a broiler at Longhorn so that is why I use it here. I wanted to recreate the same crusty texture you get at the steakhouse while also making sure the chicken doesn’t dry out. So this recipe is going to be at its best with broiler cooking. If you attempt to cook it another way, please just know it will not have the exact same texture. I have not tested this recipe any other way than how it is shown to you below so you would have to test any other method out yourself.
I get asked this for nearly every recipe on the website. And I’ll be honest, not every recipe can or should be converted to the crock pot. You are just not going to get the same coloring or the same texture. Plus, the topping won’t be as crunchy on top of the chicken. So, I think you lose a lot about what truly makes this dish so tasty. Personally, I think it’s just so much easier and quicker to do this on the stove top/under the broiler. But, if you would like to try this on your own in the Slow Cooker, that’s up to you but I have not tested it and cannot tell you how to proceed.
At nearly all grocery stores, you can find thin cut chicken breasts (some places may just call them chicken cutlets depending on which region you live.) But you can use the thicker whole chicken breasts and slice them in half lengthwise or pound them a little thinner with a meat mallet.
If you’ve been scoping out my pics, you can see what I like to enjoy this chicken with. I love a good helping of Caesar Salad and some Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes (or you can make some creamy Stovetop Mashed Potatoes instead). A nice helping of steamed veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or some frozen steamable veggies in the bag would do the trick too. Really any of your favorite side dishes that you can whip up quickly would go nicely.
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, freeze for 3 months. Reheat back in the oven covered with foil or the microwave.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- Italian dressing – I have an amazing Homemade Italian Dressing in my Italian Chopped Salad recipe that is so easy and incredibly yummy!
- ranch dressing – I have a Homemade Ranch Dressing if you prefer.
- thin sliced chicken breasts – they need to be the thin sliced for this to cook in the amount of time I have given. Nearly all grocery stores carry thin sliced chicken breasts – if they don’t just take a regular chicken breast and slice it in half length wise or pound them out thin.
- vegetable oil
- provolone cheese– shredded or diced in small pieces. If you aren’t a provolone fan, try Munster cheese, Swiss Cheese, or Mozzarella cheese instead.
- freshly grated parmesan cheese– I think using the freshly grated parmesan cheese gives the best flavor and melts the best. The cheese that preshredded or pregrated has a coating made of cellulose or potato starch that prevents the cheese from sticking together overtime in the packaging. But this coating also prevents the cheese from melting nicely and easily. So, that’s why I prefer to grate the cheese fresh off the block myself. But, if you don’t want to fuss with the cheese grater, you can use the green bottle grated parmesan cheese. It’s totally fine – do what works best for you.
- panko bread crumbs– I suppose you could use plain bread crumbs but I don’t think they’ll have as much flavor as the Panko version will
- garlic powder
- salted butter – Unsalted butter will also work, but you may want to add a pinch of salt just to give the topping that extra pop of flavor.
HOW TO MAKE LONGHORN PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN:
In a large bowl, whisk the Italian dressing and ranch until combined.
Add the chicken and coat in the marinade. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
When you are ready to cook the chicken, make the sauce first by adding the provolone, parmesan, and ranch to a medium bowl and stir together. Place in the microwave in 30-second intervals until mostly melted, and set aside.
Make the topping by stirring together the bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, and butter until well coated and set aside.
Place the oven rack in the middle part of your oven. Preheat the broiler on low. On the stovetop, heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil. Allow the excess marinade to drip off, and add the chicken to the skillet; try not to overcrowd the pan. Cook under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Note: NEVER leave the broiler unattended. You need to stay close by and not get distracted or this can burn before you know it.
Add the sauce evenly on top of each piece of chicken, followed by the breadcrumbs. Broil until browned and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165°F (anywhere from 5-10 minutes).
Serve immediately.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken (+Video)
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- ⅓ cup ranch dressing
- 4 thin sliced chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 4 ounces provolone cheese (shredded or small diced)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup ranch dressing
For the topping:
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together, 1/2 cup Italian dressing and 1/3 cup ranch dressing until combined to make the marinade.
- Add 4 thin sliced chicken breasts and coat in the marinade. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- When you are ready to cook the chicken, make the sauce first by adding 4 ounces provolone cheese, 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup ranch dressing to a medium bowl and stir together.
- Place in the microwave in 30-second intervals until mostly melted, and set aside.
- Make the topping by stirring together 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder and 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted until well coated and set aside.
- Place the oven rack in the middle part of your oven. Preheat the broiler on low.
- On the stovetop, heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil.
- Allow the excess marinade to drip off, and add the chicken to the skillet; try not to overcrowd the pan or the chicken will steam and not brown.
- Cook under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Note: NEVER leave the broiler unattended. You need to stay close by and not get distracted or this can burn before you know it.
- Add the sauce evenly on top of each piece of chicken, followed by the breadcrumbs.
- Broil until browned and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165°F, about 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Amazingly good, practically identical to restaurant. Their stuffed mushrooms are not much of a reach from this recipe either .. cooked them up right along side the chicken with just a little creativity to make the stuffing mix from this topping.
Those wanting to make it a different way .. if you don’t have oven/broiler available, maybe try a toaster oven. Get as close as you can to the method presented here.. it works, I wouldn’t change it without good reason.
Thank you!
made this tonight , husband loved it. thank you for the recipe
Very good
I have a question on cooking the chicken: once you place the chicken in the skillet, do you cook it on the stovetop first (if so, for how long) or immediately put it under the broiler to cook there?
It’s all broiled as is done at Longhorn – I go into more detail above in the Frequently Asked Question section on that 🙂 If there was any cooking time on the stovetop, I would’ve included that in the instructions. It’s important to use an oven safe skillet (cast iron is my go-to), it’s also why thin sliced chicken breasts are used, not big fat ones and always use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. I have included a video as well in the recipe card if that helps 🙂
This is so delicious! Huge hit with my wife!
can this be made just in oven, not under broiler or on the top of the stove.
Thank you