The Best Baked Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Parmigiana Recipe with Bucatini - Free Printable

"Cookbook author and restaurateur Ayesha Curry's chicken parmesan is warm, saucy, cheesy, and absolutely delicious. Ayesha and her husband, NBA's Golden State Warriors superstar Steph, run the Oakland, California-based foundation Eat. Learn. Play., a community organization focused on supporting the youth of Oakland with programs centered on nutrition, education, and physical activity. When the pandemic took our team to hundreds of cities across the nation, ELP became one of World Central Kitchen's closest partners in the area. When the Currys moved to town after Steph was drafted, this chicken parm was the first thing Ayesha made, and it's become a favorite comfort food for the family."

- World Central Kitchen

Welcome to our kitchen! The best baked chicken parmesan doesn't just taste incredible. It honors heroes in the kitchen as well as sports heroes.

We like it so much that we made TWO free printables for you to enjoy at home.

Interested? Good. Let's get started.

If you like this baked chicken parmesan recipe, try this bucatini dish, Bahian chicken dish, lamb & goat cheese pasta, pasta e fagioli, and stuffed turkey.

Learn more about cooking with kids.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Amazon links are not affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure.

The World Central Kitchen Cookbook

This baked chicken parmeson recipe comes from The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope by José Andrés & World Central Kitchen.

I believe that each of us has a deep reserve of empathy, something that we can all tap into if we just look. Everywhere I've been, I've seen neighbors helping neighbors and communities supporting themselves through crisis. When things look the darkest, the best of humanity really shines through.

Without empathy, nothing works.

- José Andrés

Stop by our shop to see more Family & Kids' Cooking Resources.

Learn more about allergies and your family.

Heroes in the Kitchen

If you want to learn more about World Central Kitchen and the honorable work that they do, pick up Feeding Dangerously: On the Ground with José Andrés and World Central Kitchen.

This graphic novel invites you to join the fight alongside World Central Kitchen. Find out where they've been and how they're changing the game in the face of disaster.

Five dollars of every purchase of Feeding Dangerously is donated to WCK to provide freshly prepared meals for communities in need.

Sports Heroes

Do you or your kids have favorite basketball or sports heroes? As a teen, I was a huge Shaq fan. Him and Penny were fun to watch. I even had one of Shaq's rap albums. My girlfriend had autographed Barkley's and we felt we were in the presence of greatness just having them around.

Never underestimate the influence that sports heroes have over kids.

I'm thinking it's time they play a more pivotal role in education. So, that's what we're doing.

Hasbro's Starting Lineup NBA Action Figures are excellent hands-on materials for introducing or learning more about NBA players.

These sports heroes are poseable and come with extra hands and a flight stand. That's a lotta moves. They also come with awesome trading cards.

Who's the NBA goat? Who changed the game?

Can there really be just one? We want to hear your opinion.

Are LeBron James and Steph Curry goats?

What about Giannis Antetokounmpo?

These NBA action figures can be used for a variety of lessons. As soon as I saw all the interchangeable hands, my mind jumped to skin-tone matching activity.

Display these guys on a Montessori tray with their hands in an attractive dish. Kids can match the hands to the player. Follow up with some books on skin color. Good to go. That's one activity right there.

Here's another.

Free NBA Basketball Players Three-Part Cards

Grab your FREE three-part cards to go with your favorite players. Learning to read has never been more fun than with materials your kids are interested in.

These 3-part cards are designed to be used with a collection of NBA action figures or with your favorite books.

Match the action figures to the picture cards for object-to-picture matching.

With 10 different players to explore, there's plenty of opportunities to learn more about the NBA and your favorite sports heroes. Players include Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić, Ja Morant, Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburton, and Bam Adebayo.

To use these NBA player cards as 3-part cards, print 2 copies and cut the labels off one of the copies. The youngest of kids can match the picture cards. As kids are mastering letter recognition and letter sounds, they can practice matching the label as well.

Any letter sounds that vary from your typical language lessons present great learning opportunities for kids.

Also, Every Star is Different has FREE Montessori basketball printables. No matter what month it is, these March Madness printables help kids practice skills in subjects such as Language, Math, Geography, and Culture.

We're excited to work with them more as we continue to learn about basketball on and off the court.

Montessorian Steph Curry

Steph Curry often credits Montessori education as playing a vital role in his successes on and off the court. If you're looking for positive role models that provide kids with tangible, real-life examples of people doing their thing and doing it well, you can't go wrong with the Curry family.

Lucky for me, these guys are still making the coolest kicks you can find. Kaia likes the Nike LeBron XX with matching socks.

History of the NBA

Want a history lesson? Or need to give one? Join JJ Redick as he takes you back to the beginning of the modern NBA and the iconic sports figures that became household names.

Speaking of household names, JJ Redick was also known for his threes during his time as a Duke University basketball player and during his pro career with the NBA. JJ continued to captivate audiences off the court as a sports analyst and host of The Old Man & the Three podcast, as well as on the court as a youth basketball coach.

As I type this, Katalina is right here "matching" her Steph Curry action figure to his image on JJ's thumbnail. "Mommy, I know who that is." The Montessori connection is real I tell you.

JJ Redick has taken his coaching skills to the next level and is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. You can still run through JJ's archive of basketball content and tune in to fresh content on the pod.

How to Make Ayesha's Baked Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

• flour - einkorn all-purpose flour makes for a delicious chicken parmesan, but you can use what you have on hand
• salt - can't get enough of Diaspora Co.'s Surya salt. Looks like snowflakes and a little goes a long way
• black pepper - Aranya black pepper
• eggs
• milk - this recipe calls for whole milk, but whatever you have will work
• mustard - Dijon mustard is preferred
• bread crumbs - panko bread crumbs
• parmesan cheese - we like freshly grated parmigiano reggiano for chicken parmesan
• chicken breasts - boneless, skinless chicken breasts work best for this recipe
• oil - we're loving Séka Hills Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace. These bottles have a pop-up spout that's so much fun to use and the kids smile every time they open it. An EVOO that tastes great and gives our cooking fine-dining vibes
• sauce - if you're making a special meal, this is the perfect place to indulge. Chicken parm is traditionally prepared with marinara sauce, but we like to spice things up. Arrabbiata sauce and Puttanesca sauce are both excellent choices for an unforgettable meal that puts homemade chicken parm over the top
• mozzarella cheese - fresh is preferred but it's also hard to resist. We ate the fresh mozzarella before we could get our hands on the chicken. Let's just say any mozzarella will work, especially if you have incredible sauce
• basil - fresh basil is preferred for the best baked chicken parmesan
• pasta - the Curry family likes linguine, my parents are old school and they prefer spaghetti. My favorite long pasta is Bucatini. It's thicker than spaghetti with a straw-like shape. Giadzy even has a Bucatini Lunghi that's extra-long, as in around 22 inches. Now, that's something for kids to talk about

Equipment

• apron
• prep bowls
• kitchen scale
• child-friendly knife
• cutting board
• measuring spoons
• measuring cup
• molcajete (optional)
• kitchen mallet
• parchment paper
• tongs
• pan
• rectangular baking dish
• meat thermometer
• learning tower (optional)

1. Preheat the Oven & Gather Equipment

It's time for boots on the ground, in my case Coach's Carter Bootie in leopard.

Wash your hands with soap and water. Turn the oven on 425 °F and gather your equipment.

You may find it easiest to work at a counter next to the stove. If you need a learning tower, now's the time to move it into position.

2. Set Up the Dredging Station

In bowl 1: use a whisk to combine the flour, salt, and pepper. You can weigh the flour using a kitchen scale or practice estimation with the kids.

In bowl 2: use the same whisk to combine the eggs, milk, and mustard. Use a measuring cup for the milk.

In bowl 3: combine the panko and parmesan. This is another one where you can practice estimation or work on weights and measures using a kitchen scale.

Katalina, our rookie chef, likes to work with Diaspora Co. spices from the masala dabba. Here, she practices her balance and coordination by transferring Aranya black pepper all the way to the molcajete y tejolote, mortar and pestle. Once there, Kaia takes over, grinding with the tejolote.

3. Pound the Chicken

Have you ever used a kitchen mallet? Anything that looks like a hammer is going to see some action in our home and the kitchen mallet does not disappoint.

Line a clean surface with parchment paper. Place the chicken breasts on top and cover with another layer of parchment paper.

Give kids a brief lesson or let them follow their instincts.

Once the chicken breasts are pounded to your liking, pat them dry with a paper towel and sprinkle a pinch of salt on each side.

4. Run the Chicken Through the Dredging Station

Grab your first chicken breast and get going. Dredge the chicken through the flour so that both sides are lightly covered.

Next, move over to the egg mixture and dunk that chicken breast.

Finally, dredge the chicken through the panko mixture. Press down to get a good crust.

Place it on a clean plate and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

5. Heat Oil in a Large Pan

Pour about 1 inch of oil into a large pan and turn the stove on medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, line a clean plate with paper towels or a clean cloth.

Once the oil is shimmering, around 350 °F, you're ready for the next step.

6. Brown the Chicken Breasts

Use tongs to transfer two of the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, using the tongs to flip them. They should be golden brown when finished, but not quite cooked all the way through.

Transfer them to the clean plate and repeat with the remaining 2 breasts. Turn off the stove when finished.

7. Prepare a Baking Dish

Spread half of your sauce along the bottom of a large baking dish. This is where we get creative. We lined the pan with the arrabbiata sauce and saved the puttanesca sauce for the next step.

8. Add the Chicken, More Sauce, & Mozzarella on Top

Place the chicken breasts on top of the sauce in a single layer. Use a spoon to cover the chicken with the remaining sauce.

Puttanesca loosely translates to "lady of the night" and rightly so. This sauce is the perfect way to easily inject flavor into your baked chicken parmesan.

Place a couple of pieces of mozzarella on top of each chicken breast and wash your hands. You're ready for the oven.

9. Bake for 15 - 20 Minutes

Bake the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked and the mozzarella starts to brown. Turn off the oven when finished.

Growing up in my family, if the cheese is white, it's not done.

While the chicken is baking, get your long pasta going and chop some fresh basil.

Learning to twirl pasta around a fork is fun and a great way to add some laughs to your meal.

Have concerns about small children and choking? You can always cut it for them or choose a short pasta instead.

10. Serve Baked Chicken Parmesan With Your Favorite Long Pasta

Serve baked chicken parmesan family-style with chopped basil, extra parmesan, and bucatini, or your favorite long pasta.

Free Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe for Pre-Readers and Up

Grab your free printable recipe cards above. Kids can gather ingredients using the ingredient list, gather their equipment with the tools list, and prepare the meal using the step-by-step recipe cards, with assistance as needed.

The cards are easy to use, include pictures, and encourage confidence and independence in the kitchen. They also make an excellent addition to your Montessori continent box for North America.