Chicken Parmesan

Michael Eisenwasser

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Breaded chicken cutlets with low-FODMAP marinara and melted mozzarella, using gluten-free rice breadcrumbs and garlic-infused oil.

Prep 20 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 4

Gluten-free

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz / 170 g each), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup gluten-free 1:1 flour blend (Bob's Red Mill, King Arthur, or Cup4Cup)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free rice breadcrumbs (Aleia's, Ian's Panko, or 4C Gluten Free), label checked for inulin and onion/garlic powder
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided — half for the breading, half for the topping)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 3 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil, for pan-frying

Sauce and Cheese

• 1 1/2 cups low-FODMAP marinara sauce
• 5 oz (140 g) low-moisture mozzarella, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups, 35 g per serve)
• 2 tablespoons scallion greens, thinly sliced, to finish
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn, to finish

Instructions

Set Up the Breading

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2. Pat the chicken dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Set up three shallow dishes: flour in the first; beaten eggs in the second; breadcrumbs mixed with half the Parmesan, oregano, and dried basil in the third.

Bread and Sear

1. Dredge each cutlet in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in egg, letting the extra drip off. Press firmly into the breadcrumb mix so the crust sticks on both sides.
2. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
3. Fry the cutlets in two batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the crust is golden. They'll finish cooking in the oven.
4. Transfer the seared cutlets to the lined baking sheet.

Top and Bake

1. Spoon about 1/3 cup marinara over each cutlet, leaving the edges of the crust exposed so it stays crisp.
2. Scatter the shredded mozzarella evenly across the four cutlets, then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest point.
4. Rest for 2 minutes. Finish with scallion greens and torn basil.

Tips & Substitutions

• Pound the cutlets to an even thickness. Half an inch is the sweet spot. Thick breasts steam the crust from inside and come out soggy. A zip-top bag and the flat side of a meat mallet take 30 seconds.
• Check the breadcrumb label every time. Many gluten-free panko blends add inulin, chicory root, or onion/garlic powder, and formulas change. Aleia's, Ian's, and 4C Gluten Free are currently clean. Rice-based crumbs stay crispier than bean-flour blends.
• Keep mozzarella to the Monash serve. Low-moisture mozzarella is low-FODMAP at 40 g per serve. Five ounces across four cutlets puts each portion at 35 g. Use lactose-free mozzarella if you're lactose-sensitive, and avoid fresh (high-moisture) mozzarella unless it's labeled lactose-free.
• Skip pre-shredded cheese when you can. Bagged shreds often use potato starch or cellulose as an anti-caking agent, which is fine, but some brands add flavorings worth checking. Shred from a block for the cleanest melt.
• Use oven-only if you prefer less oil. Skip the pan-fry, brush both sides of the breaded cutlets with garlic-infused oil, and bake at 425°F (220°C) on a wire rack for 18 to 20 minutes before adding sauce and cheese. Less crisp, less hands-on.
• Pair it with a low-FODMAP side. Gluten-free spaghetti (1 cup cooked per serve), zucchini noodles (1/2 cup / 65 g per serve), or a green salad with lemon vinaigrette. Regular wheat pasta isn't low-FODMAP at standard serves.

Why This Works

The marinara and frying oil carry the flavor. The low-FODMAP marinara already uses garlic-infused olive oil and scallion greens, and the pan-fry oil is the same. That covers the garlic-and-onion base of a classic chicken parm without the fructans.

Aged cheese is naturally low in lactose. Parmesan and firm mozzarella lose most of their lactose during aging and whey draining. Monash lists mozzarella as low-FODMAP at 40 g per serve and Parmesan at 40 g. Both are fine at the amounts used here.

Rice breadcrumbs replace wheat panko cleanly. Standard panko is wheat-based and high-FODMAP at normal serves. Rice-based gluten-free crumbs crisp up the same way without the fructans from wheat.

Sauce on, edges exposed. Spooning sauce only over the center of each cutlet keeps the outer rim of the crust out of the wet zone, so the bottom stays crisp through the bake.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat at 375°F (190°C) on a wire rack for 10 to 12 minutes to bring the crust back; the microwave will soften it. Freezing is possible but the crust loses most of its crunch on the thaw. For meal prep, freeze the breaded, seared cutlets before the sauce-and-cheese step and assemble fresh.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.