Chicken Parmesan Bites Recipe

Chicken parmesan bites are a kid-friendly version of a comfort food recipe! Fry up some chicken strips and marinara dipping sauce.

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This post was originally sponsored by Ragu and written in April 2014. It was updated in 2025 with improved photography and text formatting.

My family loves chicken parmesan. My husband likes to joke that when we are really tired and the pantry is empty, we always make it. Chicken parm is a bit of work and plenty of mess, but for us it is the perfect comfort food, so the effort seems effortless.

The problem comes when trying to feed the kids. Cutting up a big piece of chicken and not spilling red sauce everywhere is a challenge for mine at 7 and 10. When they were younger, it was even messier. When Ragú contacted me to come up with a #NewTraDish – a twist on an old favorite recipe – I knew just what I wanted to make: chicken parmesan bites.

Beginner tips for frying chicken

If you’ve never breaded and fried chicken before, the process can seem intimidating. Here are a few tips to help you out.

• You don’t need a deep fryer. Use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet with deep sides.
• Fill the skillet with oil about 2 inches deep. It just needs to be deep enough to cover the chicken pieces.
• Use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature. Frying oil should be 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer, the oil should be shiny but not sizzling/bubbling at all (before you add the chicken).
• Set up a dredging station to make the breading process streamlined. Use three large dishes; one each for the flour, egg, and bread crumbs.
• When breading the chicken, it’s helpful to use one hand for wet dipping and one hand for dry dipping.

Sidebar: I tried cooking these in the air fryer, but they didn’t turn out great. I don’t usually cook raw meat in the air fryer, so that may be the issue, but the chicken was very dry while the breading stayed pale.

How to make chicken parmesan bites

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (regular or panko)
• canola oil, for frying
• Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce

Instructions

1. Cut chicken into strips.

Start by cutting the chicken breast into strips. You can make these whatever size you like or works best for your kids. They should all be close to the same size so that they cook evenly.

2. Coat chicken with breading.

Set up 3 dishes. In the first, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. In the second, whisk the egg. In the third, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan.

One piece at a time, dip the chicken in the flour mixture and pat it to coat. Next, dip it in the egg. Hold it to drip any extra back into the egg dish. Then, dip it in the bread crumbs and pat it to coat.

Repeat the steps for each piece of chicken. I usually leave the chicken in the last dish until I have several pieces to fry. After you fry these pieces, come back to this step to bread more pieces until you’ve done all of them.

3. Fry chicken in oil.

Add about 2 inches of canola oil to a skillet and heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add a few pieces of breaded chicken to the skillet at a time. I cooked 4 at a time; don’t crowd the skillet. Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the breading is golden brown. If your oil is deep enough to cover the chicken, you don’t need to flip it while frying.

Remove the chicken from the oil using tongs or a spider/skimmer. Set it on a baking sheet lined with a few paper towels to absorb extra oil.

4. Heat marinara sauce.

Heat the marinara sauce in a small pan over medium heat for a few minutes.

Serve the chicken parmesan bites and marinara sauce immediately. Leftovers can be cooled, then stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.

I usually serve chicken parm bites with a big salad. You could also serve another vegetable, mac and cheese, or your family’s favorite side dishes.

If you’re missing out on the mozzarella, one time we served this with fried mozzarella sticks too.

Printable recipe

What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:

• Spicy Barbecue Chicken Sandwich Recipe
• Chicken Fajita Macaroni and Cheese
• Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese Recipe