This One-Pan Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Asparagus is crispy, healthy, easy, & delicious. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner that you can prep ahead to save time and then have easy clean up!
This One-Pan Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Asparagus is crispy, healthy, filling, easy, and delicious. The chicken is simply breaded with a mixture of parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Asparagus is lightly seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Finally, the scallions give a mild onion flavor. This dish is loaded with amazing but simple deliciousness!
The best part of this recipe? It’s ONE PAN!! Try more ONE PAN or ONE POT recipes:
- Creamy Ground Chicken Tomato Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Slow Cooker Chicken & Artichoke Ragu
- Ginger Teriyaki Tofu Noodle Bowl
- 5-Ingredient Chicken Tortilla Soup with Kale
- One-Pan Cilantro Lime Yogurt Chicken & Sweet Peppers
Season for Asparagus
Asparagus crops are harvested from late February to June, with April being the prime month. However, you can find asparagus anytime of year, you just may pay a bit more for it. If you cannot find affordable, fresh asparagus, DO NOT USE frozen, it will not be crisp, it will instead be mushy. I would swap with green beans or broccoli instead.
Do your kids eat asparagus? Roasting it brings out all of the natural sugars, gives it a soft enough texture, but also an almost crispy-crunchy outside so that kids can pick it up and eat it like french fries. For my kids, being allowed to pick up food with their fingers ALWAYS increases my chances of successfully getting them to eat it!.
Asparagus is Super Good For You!
After receiving my Certification in Nutrition and Healthy Living, I am always looking at the nutrition from foods that we eat. Asparagus is low in calories (ehem, for those of us that caught a glimpse of ourselves in swimsuits over spring break🙄), but it’s loaded with vitamins! It has vitamins A, C, E, K, and B6, as well as folate, iron, copper, calcium, protein, and fiber (Health.com, 10 Reasons Why You Should Eat More Asparagus).
Time Saving Prep Ahead Steps for Baked Chicken and Asparagus
You are busy, so these are the steps you can do a day or two in advance to prepare food ahead! (See the recipe below for more details)
For this recipe, you can really prepare everything ahead in either storage bags or containers. If you’re not prepping in advance, then you do not need to place the ingredients in bags or containers, simply place in bowls or leave on the cutting board.
First, rinse the asparagus, cut off the woody ends and then place in a storage container or bag. Add to the asparagus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Slice the scallions into thin strips and mix the parmesan crumb mixture. Finally, slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch wide strips and put in a 1 gallon sealable bag.
If you are prepping ahead, place all baggies and 1 egg on the sheet pan for storing in the fridge.
Cooking Steps for Parmesan Baked Chicken and Asparagus
Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees and spray a large sheet pan with olive oil cooking spray. Pull your ‘kit’ out of the fridge.
Crack the egg into a medium size bowl (big enough to fit a couple pieces of chicken at a time). Or beat the eat and add to the container with the chicken to make this even easier!
Pour the parmesan-breadcrumb mixture into a pie pan, deep dish, or large bowl.
Ok, now put it all together! Dip each chicken strip into the egg wash and then coat with the parm-breadcrumbs. Then place on sheet pan that has been coated with olive oil cooking spray. Spray the top of each chicken piece lightly as well and then put into oven.
After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, take it out and flip each piece over. Then and add the Asparagus to the pan with the chicken and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
The Chicken will be browned and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. The asparagus will be slightly tender, but still slightly crisp and fresh with a delicious gentle roasted char to the outside.
Be sure to check out the web story for this Parmesan Baked Chicken and Asparagus!
One-Pan Parmesan Baked Chicken and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 16 oz Asparagus, 1 bunch
- 16 oz Chicken Breasts
- ¾ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- ¾ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Olive Oil Cooking Spray
- 2 Scallions
- 1 Egg
Instructions
Prep Ahead to make your ‘Kit’
- Get a large bowl or small sheet pan for storing all of the ‘kit’ prepped food on. Note, this is not the bowl/pan you will necessarily cook with later as you need a large sheet pan for cooking and that may not be ideal for storing in your fridge.
- Rinse the asparagus and cut off the woody ends, usually this will be about 1 inche off the end. Place the asparagus in a 1 gallon sealable bag and toss with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Place bag on sheet pan for storing in fridge.
- Slice the scallions into thin strips. Put in small baggie and place on sheet pan for storing in fridge.
- Mix the parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ fresh ground pepper.
- Slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch wide strips and put in a 1 gallon sealable bag. Place bag on sheet pan for storing in fridge.
- Place 1 egg on the sheet pan for cracking when you are ready to cook. Now on your storage sheet pan you will have: 1. bag of seasoned asparagus 2. bag of sliced scallions 3. bag of parm-breadcrumb mixture 4. bag of cut chicken strips 5. one egg. The only thing left is the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which you do not need to put on the sheet pan.
Cook
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray a large sheet pan (I used an 18 inch) with olive oil cooking spray. Pull your ‘kit’ out of the fridge.
- Crack the egg into a medium size bowl (big enough to fit a couple pieces of chicken at a time). In a separate bowl of similar size, pour in the parmesan-breadcrumb mixture.
- Dip each chicken strip into the egg wash and then coat with the parm-breadcrumbs. Then place on sheet pan that has been coated with olive oil cooking spray. Spray the top of each chicken piece lightly as well.
- Sprinkle ¼ of the scallions over the chicken, then place in the oven for 15 minutes.
- After the chicken has been in the oven for 15 minutes, take the pan out and flip each piece of chicken over. Then add the asparagus to the pan, in and around the chicken. Sprinkle another ¼ of the scallions over top and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
- After a total of 30 minutes in the oven, the chicken should be completely cooked through…browned and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. The asparagus will be slightly tender, but still slightly crisp and fresh with a delicious gentle roasted char to the outside. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
- No additional sides are needed for this absolutely simple, satisfying, and delicious dish! Enjoy!
Mary says
Super easy to make a delicious. My kids love it!
Linger, Kristy Murray says
Carrie, I love all your pre-ahead meals and this baked chicken and asparagus recipe sounds so easy and especially delicious. Anything asparagus (which is my favorite vegetable) for Spring this season is a perfect meal. I love how simple yet yummy this recipe looks. Thanks for sharing.