Why You’ll Love This this Rich Parmesan Chicken
This creamy, cheesy chicken bake is basically comfort food heaven on a plate, with tender chunks of seasoned chicken swimming in a rich mushroom sauce that’ll make you forget all about those fancy restaurant dishes.
The best part is how ridiculously easy it’s – you just coat some chicken, throw everything in a pan, and let the oven do all the heavy lifting while you binge-watch your favorite show.
Plus, it’s one of those magical recipes that somehow tastes even better the next day, assuming there are any leftovers to speak of.
Ingredients List
Everything you need for this soul-warming dish is probably already hanging out in your kitchen, which is honestly one of my favorite things about comfort food recipes.
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup flour
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 21 ounces cream of mushroom soup (2 regular size cans)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Let’s be real about the health factor here:
- This recipe is definitely more on the indulgent side with all that creamy goodness, but you can lighten it up by using reduced-fat sour cream and soup.
- The chicken gives you solid protein, and mushrooms bring some vitamins to the party.
- Consider serving smaller portions over a big pile of vegetables or a fresh salad to balance things out.
- You could swap in Greek yogurt for half the sour cream if you want to sneak in some extra protein without sacrificing too much of that creamy texture.
Step by Step Directions
This rich and creamy chicken bake comes together in just a few simple steps that’ll have your kitchen smelling absolutely incredible.
- Mix pepper, paprika, salt and flour in a bowl.
- Coat chicken chunks in the seasoned flour mixture.
- Brown the coated chicken chunks in oil in a large skillet.
- Arrange the browned chicken in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese over the chicken.
- Layer sliced mushrooms over the top.
- Mix cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and milk together in a bowl.
- Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and mushrooms.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Serve over noodles or rice.
Using professional stainless steel cookware will ensure even heat distribution and browning throughout the cooking process.
Substitutions and Variations
- Seasoning tweaks – Add garlic powder to the flour mixture because garlic makes everything better, or throw in some Italian seasoning if you want to pretend this is Mediterranean.
- Vegetable additions – Diced onions, bell peppers, or even some frozen peas can bulk this up and add color to what’s admittedly a pretty beige dish.
- Make it spicy – A pinch of cayenne in the flour mixture or some hot sauce mixed into the soup blend will wake things up.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This creamy, dreamy chicken deserves some equally comforting companions that won’t compete for attention.
- Classic starches – Egg noodles are the obvious choice here, wide ones that can cradle all that gorgeous sauce, though rice works perfectly fine if you’re feeling basic (which sometimes we all are).
- Crusty bread situation – A good sourdough or French bread for sopping up every last drop of that cheesy goodness, because leaving sauce on the plate should be illegal.
- Simple green vegetables – Steamed broccoli, green beans, or a basic salad with vinaigrette cuts through all that richness without causing a flavor war on your plate.
- Roasted vegetables – Carrots, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus add some color and crunch to balance out what’s fundamentally comfort food in a casserole dish.
- Mashed potatoes – Yes, this creates a carb-on-carb situation, but sometimes you need that level of comfort in your life, and I’m not here to judge your choices.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Making this dish foolproof comes down to a few key moves that’ll save you from the classic home cook disasters we’ve all lived through.
- Don’t skip the browning step – I know it seems like extra work when you’re just going to bake everything anyway, but that quick sear gives the chicken actual flavor instead of sad, pale chunks floating in sauce.
- Pat that chicken dry first – Wet chicken won’t take the flour coating properly, and you’ll end up with gummy bits instead of a nice crust that actually sticks.
- Make your sauce extra smooth – Whisk the soup, sour cream, and milk together in a separate bowl before dumping it over everything, because nobody wants to bite into a cold sour cream blob.
- Check for doneness properly – Chicken should hit 165°F internally, but more importantly, the sauce should be bubbly around the edges and the top should look set, not jiggly.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes – This isn’t a steak situation, but giving it a few minutes to settle means the sauce won’t run everywhere when you serve it, and honestly, it’s probably too hot to eat anyway.
- Double-check your pan size – A 9×13 is essential here because anything smaller creates a sauce overflow situation that’ll smoke up your kitchen and set off every alarm in the house.
Nutritional Facts
This comfort food classic packs substantial protein while delivering the rich, creamy indulgence you’re craving.
- Calories: 485 per serving
- Protein: 42g (excellent source for muscle maintenance and satiety)
- Total Fat: 24g (primarily from dairy and cooking oil)
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 18g (mostly from flour coating and dairy)
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 6g (naturally occurring from dairy)
- Sodium: 1,240mg (high due to canned soup and added salt)
- Calcium: 285mg (20% daily value from cheese and dairy)
- Iron: 2.1mg
- Vitamin A: 15% daily value (from dairy ingredients)
- Phosphorus: 380mg (supports bone health)
Key Nutritional Notes:
- High protein content makes this filling and satisfying
- Sodium levels are significant – consider low-sodium soup alternatives if watching salt intake
- Rich in calcium and phosphorus for bone health
- Contains complete proteins from chicken and dairy
Fun “Did You Know?”
Beyond its impressive nutritional profile, this Rich Parmesan Chicken recipe connects you to centuries of culinary tradition in surprising ways.
Did you know that Parmesan cheese legally can’t be called “Parmigiano-Reggiano” unless it’s produced in specific regions of Italy using methods that haven’t changed since the Middle Ages?
I find it fascinating that cream of mushroom soup became America’s most popular condensed soup by 1955, transforming home cooking forever.
Your chicken coating technique mirrors methods French chefs perfected in the 1600s.
You’re creating comfort food with roots spanning continents and centuries.
