Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana and Chips
This classic Aussie pub favourite is simple, delicious, and perfect for a weekend BBQ or family meal. Crispy crumbed chicken topped with gooey cheese and a rich tomato sauce, served alongside golden chips – it’s everything you love about a parma, done at home with minimal fuss.

Choosing Your Ingredients:
•    Chicken: Use fresh chicken breast fillets. Butterflying them gives even cooking and a better crumb surface.
•    Passata: Smooth tomato passata works best for a rich, thick sauce. You can substitute with canned crushed tomatoes if needed.
•    Potatoes: Choose starchy potatoes like Desiree or King Edward for crisp, fluffy chips.

Equipment Needed:
•    57cm (22”) Weber kettle or any hooded BBQ/oven
•    Kettle Kone or 2 charcoal baskets
•    Chimney starter
•    Instant-read thermometer
•    Chef’s knife

Preparation:
Chicken Prep:
Butterfly the chicken breasts to create two even fillets each.
Make a dry brine with 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried

Italian herbs.
Coat the chicken in the brine, place in a zip-lock bag, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Toast 1 ½ cups panko crumbs in a 200°C (392°F) oven for a few minutes.
Mix in ½ cup grated Parmesan, 1 tsp dried Italian herbs, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper. Set aside.

Flour & Egg Wash:
Place ⅓ cup plain flour in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk 2 large eggs with 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1 tsp dried Italian herbs.

Sauce:
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Fry 1 finely diced onion until translucent.
Add 4 crushed garlic cloves and ¼ tsp chilli flakes. Stir for 1 minute.
Add 400g (14oz) passata, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened.

Chips:
Peel and slice 4 potatoes into long chip shapes. Rinse, pat dry.
Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp celery salt. Place in foil trays lined with baking paper.

The Cook:
BBQ Setup:
Fill a chimney starter ¾ full with briquettes, light them, and wait until ashed over.
Place a Kettle Kone or charcoal baskets in the centre of your grill. Pour in lit coals, replace grill and open vents.
Place trays of chips on the grill to start cooking. Preheat to ~240°C (464°F).

Coating Chicken:
Flatten any uneven chicken fillets.
Dredge in flour → dip in egg wash → coat with crumb mixture, pressing lightly to stick.
Spray with olive oil and place in foil trays lined with baking paper.

Cooking Chicken and Chips:
After chips have cooked 15 minutes, place chicken on the grill.
Cook 15 minutes, then flip chicken and toss chips. Spread sauce over chicken, add 1 ¼ cups mozzarella, ⅓ cup Parmesan, ¼ cup chopped basil.
Cook another 15 minutes or until chicken reaches 74°C (165°F).

The Payoff:
•    Remove chicken and chips from the grill.
•    Let chicken rest 2–3 minutes.
•    Serve hot with extra basil garnish. Perfect with a cold beer!

Ingredients:
Chicken:
•    2 chicken breasts (halved/butterflied)
•    1 tsp kosher salt
•    ½ tsp black pepper
•    ½ tsp garlic powder
•    1 tsp dried Italian herbs
Passata Sauce:
•    1 small brown onion, finely diced
•    400g (14oz) passata sauce
•    2 tbsp tomato paste
•    4 garlic cloves, crushed
•    1 tsp dried Italian herbs
•    ¼ tsp chilli flakes
•    Pinch salt & black pepper
•    1 tbsp olive oil
Flour:
•    ⅓ cup plain flour (45g / 1.6oz)
Egg Wash:
•    2 large eggs
•    1 tsp garlic powder
•    ½ tsp kosher salt
•    ¼ tsp white pepper
•    1 tsp dried Italian herbs
Crumb Coating:
•    1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs (150g / 5.3oz), toasted
•    ½ cup Parmesan cheese (50g / 1.8oz)
•    1 tsp dried Italian herbs
•    ½ tsp kosher salt
•    ¼ tsp black pepper
•    Olive oil spray
Parma Topping:
•    1 ¼ cups mozzarella (125g / 4.4oz)
•    ⅓ cup Parmesan (30g / 1oz)
•    ¼ cup basil, chopped (add extra for garnish)
Chips:
•    4 potatoes, cut into long chip shapes
•    1 tbsp olive oil
•    1 tsp celery salt

Recipe Steps:
1    Butterfly chicken breasts and brine 30 minutes.
2    Toast crumbs, mix with cheese and herbs.
3    Prepare flour and egg wash.
4    Make sauce on stove over medium heat until thickened.
5    Prep chips with olive oil and celery salt.
6    Preheat BBQ to 240°C (464°F) with indirect heat using Kettle Kone or baskets.
7    Coat chicken in flour → egg → crumbs, spray with olive oil.
8    Cook chips 15 minutes. Add chicken to grill.
9    Cook 15 minutes, flip chicken, toss chips. Add sauce, cheese, basil.
10    Cook 15 more minutes until chicken internal temp 74°C (165°F).
11    Remove, rest briefly, serve hot.

Recipe Info:
•    Prep Time: 20 minutes
•    Marinating/Brining Time: 30 minutes
•    Cook Time: 45 minutes
•    Serves: 4
•    Effort: Easy
•    Course: Main
•    Cuisine: Australian
•    Hydration: 2 beers (optional but very recommended)

Tips & Variations
•    Cheese Swap: Try smoked mozzarella for a subtle BBQ flavour.
•    Spicy Kick: Add extra chilli flakes to the sauce for more heat.
•    Oven Version: Cook at 240°C (464°F) in a preheated oven on a tray lined with baking paper if no BBQ is available.
•    Herb Variation: Mix fresh oregano or thyme into the crumb for a fresh twist.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means, if you do purchase from one of my links, you pay no extra but I do make a small amount from each purchase that helps me keep producing content, so thank you for your help.