Chicken parmigiana
Chicken parmi
Crumbed chicken, tomato, ham, cheese — the Australian pub parmi. Not Italian. Do not take it to Bologna.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Chicken parmi.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
A parmi is a pub plate: a chicken schnitzel, a ladle of tomato sauce, a slice of ham, a blanket of melting cheese, usually with chips and salad. It is Australian-New Zealand pub food with an Italian-American name. This is a home oven version. Call it a parmi or a parma depending on which state you are in. Do not call it authentic Italian. This is an Australian pub parmi (parma in Victoria): a crumbed chicken schnitzel, a ladle of tomato or Napoli sauce, a slice of ham, and a blanket of melting cheese, usually with chips and a token salad. It is not Italian, and it is not even a straight copy of Italian-American chicken parm, which typically skips the ham. Pound the breast, crumb, fry, then grill the topping. Jar sauce is how pubs do it; a ten-minute garlic tomato is how you feel better about Tuesday.
Ingredients
- Chicken, 2 breast steaks, pounded400 g
- Wheat flour40 g
- Egg2 large
- Panko80 g
- Tomato, passata or chopped200 g
- Pork, ham slices60 g
- Melting cheese, mozzarella, grated100 g
- Oregano2½ ml
- Neutral oil80 ml
- Salt3.7 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Season chicken. Flour, egg, crumbs. Fry in 1cm oil until gold, 3 minutes a side.
12 minStep 2
On a tray: schnitzel, tomato, ham, cheese, oregano. Grill or 220°C oven until the cheese slumps, 8 minutes.
10 min220°CStep 3
Chips and a token salad. A beer if it is that kind of Tuesday.
2 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Chicken → Eggplant slabs
Closer to the Italian name, still a pub melt.
Tips
- Napoli sauce from a jar is how pubs do it. A 10-minute garlic tomato is how you feel better.
- No ham is a vegetarian-adjacent parmi if the chicken stays. Eggplant is the other fork.
History & culture
The suburban bistro special. Victoria says parma; much of the rest says parmi. The salad is ornamental. The chips are not. Suburban bistro and RSL-club special across Australia and New Zealand. Victoria says parma; much of the rest of Australia says parmi; South Australia sometimes says parmy. The salad is ornamental. The chips are not. Ordering 'parmi and chips' is the plate. Taking it to Bologna as evidence of Italian food is a category error. It is diaspora pub food with an Italian-American name.
Mid-century Italian-Australian pubs riffing on eggplant parmigiana and the American chicken parm. The pub plate stuck. Mid-century Italian-Australian pubs riffed on eggplant parmigiana and on American chicken parmesan, then standardised a schnitzel-ham-cheese-chips plate that stuck to laminated menus. That is a postwar migration and pub-kitchen history, not a recipe from Emilia-Romagna. Call it a parmi. Do not call it authentic Italian. Eggplant is the other fork if you want to nod at the name.
Inspired by
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Chicken parmigiana take?
45 min all in — 20 min prep, 25 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 parmis. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ¾ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Chicken → Eggplant slabs. Closer to the Italian name, still a pub melt.
Any tips from this recipe?
Napoli sauce from a jar is how pubs do it. A 10-minute garlic tomato is how you feel better. No ham is a vegetarian-adjacent parmi if the chicken stays. Eggplant is the other fork.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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