Chicken Parmigiana
A breaded chicken breast topped with tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese, served with chips and salad. The Australian pub's "parma night" icon.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 40 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
The "parma," short for parmigiana, is one of the most ordered dishes at Australian pubs, a breaded chicken breast topped with tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese, usually arriving at a size that dwarfs the plate underneath.
Many pubs run a weekly "parma night" with a discounted price, and the dish has become something of a cultural fixture well beyond its original Italian-diaspora roots.
Part of our 20 best Australian recipes list.
method
Season the pounded chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Set up three shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs.
Coat each piece in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing to help the crumb stick.
Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 175°C (350°F). Fry the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
Preheat the broiler. Arrange the fried chicken on a baking tray.
Spoon tomato sauce over each piece, lay on a slice of ham, then cover with mozzarella and a sprinkle of oregano.
Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling in spots.
Serve hot with a pile of chips and a simple side salad.
chef's tips
- This is pub food through and through, and "parma night" is a real, widely celebrated weekly tradition at bars across the country, often with a steep discount.
- Fry the chicken fully golden and cooked through before it goes under the broiler. Everything added afterward only adds moisture, never more real cooking time for the meat itself.
- Portions at pubs are famously oversized; there is no shame in scaling this recipe down for a more normal dinner plate at home.
- Chips are the standard side, not optional. A parma without chips is considered an incomplete order almost everywhere it is served.