If you love crispy chicken cutlets but don’t want the fat and calories of fried chicken, wait until you try this easy oven-baked Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan recipe!!
(*This post was sponsored by FitJoy Foods. All delicious crunch opinions are my own!)
If you love healthy snacks, you will LOVE these new grain-free pretzels by FitJoy Foods!! They are the only grain-free pretzel on the market, and they are sooo perfect to grind as a coating for breaded foods like these chicken cutlets!
These pretzels are made with real foods, nothing fake, and contain carefully sourced gourmet ingredients like Himalayan pink salt, sunflower oil, cassava flour, organic honey, etc.
One bite and you will be hooked. This mouthwatering chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy and moist on the inside!! Top these gluten free chicken cutlets with your favorite sauce, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil!
Why this gluten free chicken parmesan is great:
If you want a delicious, easy dinner that kids love, this gluten free chicken parmesan from scratch is the answer. Kids love the salty pretzel coating!
This gluten free chicken dinner is ready in about 40 minutes. You can meal prep this recipe and freeze it so you always have an easy dinner to heat up!
For my readers looking for speedy chicken recipes for those busy school nights, don’t forget to check out all of my popular gluten free chicken recipes!
These chicken cutlets were the perfect base for my gluten free chicken parmesan recipe, but you can also serve these gluten free chicken cutlets smothered in gravy with mashed potatoes, in a chicken sandwich, or eat them plain!
Ingredient notes:
- Fit Joy Grain-Free Pretzels – There are no grain-free bread crumbs on the market, so using Fit Joy’s Pretzels is a great way to keep your meal grain-free! I used FitJoy pretzels instead of bread crumbs for these gluten free chicken cutlets.
- Â Chicken – I used chicken breasts, but you can also use thighs.
- Mozzarella – Feel free to use dairy-free mozzarella if you are dairy-free. There are several delicious brands.
- Basil – I used dried basil mixed in the crumb mixture but garnished with fresh basil.
Instructions:
Step 1: Add the pretzels to a food processor and grind until you get your desired consistency. My kids love their coating crunchy, so I left some slightly bigger pieces.
Step 2: Add your breadcrumbs, parmesan, basil, garlic powder, and salt to a bowl. Mix it all. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
Step 3: Add mixed eggs to a bowl and add the breadcrumb mixture to another bowl. Dip the chicken into the egg, then dip into the breadcrumbs. Move the chicken to a baking dish. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
Step 4: Top with marinara sauce. You can make this homemade marinara sauce, or jarred marinara sauce. Try this if you prefer a roasted tomato sauce.
Step 5: Bake for 20 minutes until mostly done. Remove from the oven and top each piece of chicken with mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted…about 8 more minutes. Serve with gluten free pasta!!
Sprinkle with fresh basil and dig in!! Your whole family is going to love this easy chicken parmesan! You will also love this Gluten Free Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe…talk about a delicious crisp coating!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
Slice your chicken breasts lengthwise in half to make a thin chicken cutlet. This will make your chicken thin and crispier on the outside.)
You can easily make this recipe dairy-free by using dairy-free cheese. I like VioLife and Daiya brands.
It is easy to keep the chicken coating crispy by baking this recipe in the oven or cooking it in an air fryer. The coating tends to get soggy after it has been in the refrigerator. I recommend heating it in the oven to crisp the coating.
This chicken will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
To cook this gluten free chicken parmesan in the air fryer, prep and coat the chicken. Preheat your air fryer to 375º F. Add the chicken, making sure the pieces do not touch. Spray the chicken with oil and cook for 15 minutes in the air fryer. Top with marinara and mozzarella the same.
If you love crunchy, try this Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets recipe. You need to swap gluten free panko.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes to Try:
- These Easy Baked Chicken Wings are perfect for a party.
- This is the best Gluten Free Fried Chicken recipe ever!
- If you have an Instant Pot, this Instant Pot Chicken Soup is so easy to make.
- These Gluten Free Ground Chicken Burgers make a quick and easy dinner.
Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts * see note
- 1 cup pasta sauce * see note
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese * see note
- 1 egg large
- 1 ½ cups FitJoy Grain-Free Pretzels
- ¼ cup grated parmesan * see note
- ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt more if you prefer foods a little saltier
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
Instructions
- Add the FitJoy Pretzels to a food processor and pulse until they are crumbs. Pour them into a bowl.
- Add the crumbs, parmesan, and seasoning into a bowl and mix.
- Break the egg into a bowl and whisk.
- Take the chicken and dip each piece of chicken into egg, flip to coat both sides.
- Put the chicken into the crumbs. Press the chicken in so the crumb mixture sticks to each part of the chicken.
- Place chicken in a baking dish and bake at 350º F. Bake chicken for 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and top each cutlet with marinara and mozzarella. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes until the cheese melts.
Notes
- I used skinless chicken breasts but you can also use thighs.
- To keep this recipe dairy-free, use dairy-free mozzarella and parmesan.
- Top with either jarred or homemade pasta sauce. This easy gluten free marinara sauce is really easy to make with pantry ingredients.Â
- If you can’t find grain-free pretzels, you can use gluten-free pretzels.
- This chicken parmesan will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it and it will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
My daughter has Celiac Disease. She needs more easy recipes like this. She works 6 12 hour shifts so it’s hard to cook. But I love to try new ones for her. Love this one! Looks tasty. Don’t have computer or way of keeping or printing or at least don’t know how. Please keep me informed of new ones Thank you!
Hi Crystal, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Did you find this recipe via your phone? You mentioned you didn’t have a computer. I am happy to walk you through how to print them if you have a printer, you should be able to network your phone to send things to the printer.
I made this Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan for dinner tonight. I have to tell you I have been gluten free for 16 years. No one has inspired me to cook like you have. Every recipe I try, I print to save, they are so good! I used chicken breasts and was surprised how tender and moist they came out. I had a container of gluten free breadcrumbs, so I used them instead of pretzels, But I loved the idea of the pretzels and will buy some just to keep in the pantry to substitute out breadcrumbs with. I made your Air Fryer Green Beans with Italian Seasonings to go with this recipe along with spaghetti noodles. It looked pretty impressive all plated up. Finished the evening with your Easy Gluten Free Kuchen….yum! Thanks for the awesome meal! The best part about this meal is that I had all these ingredients on hand, no special trip to the store to buy ingredients.
You have made my day, Cindy. Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoy my recipes.
This looks so light and tasty and guilt free. I love the idea of pretzels giving that crunch. Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome Farah 🙂
We had these for dinner and the crunch of the pretzel was just perfect!!! I love that they aren’t deep fried!
We aren’t GF so I used normal pasta but I cannot wait to make this for my Dad as he is a Coeliac and is going to love the chicken!!
I am so glad Claire, let me know how he likes it :-).
I love that this recipe is GF! It looks so perfect for dinner on any given day!
It is our new favorite 🙂
I love that you used pretzels as the breading! So yummy!
Thanks, Tisha, let me know how the family liked it 🙂
Made this for dinner last night, and it was a real hit with the whole family! The best part? You couldn’t even tell it was GF!
Delicious 🙂
Wow! You made my day Alexandra 🙂
I love the idea of using gluten-free pretzels for this recipe. Looks delicious!
It was so fun, thank you so much Genevieve 🙂