Chicken Parmesan From 13 Chain Restaurants, Ranked Worst To Best

The elements of chicken Parmesan seem straightforward at first glance — crispy breaded pan-fried chicken, tangy tomato sauce, and melted cheese — but there are so many places where it can go wrong. Dry cutlets, runny sauce, mushy spaghetti, and more can spell doom for this classic Italian-American dish, and if you get a sub-par Parm for dinner, it can ruin an otherwise special night out.

So, we've rounded up a list of 13 chain restaurants with the best chicken Parmesan and ranked them from worst (more like "least awesome") to best, based on personal experience and honest reviews from real diners. That way, next time you're craving chicken Parmesan, you'll know the best places to get it — no more disappointing dinners!

Fazoli's is the fast food version of an Italian restaurant, where you order at the counter, fill your own drinks, and clear your own table — not the kind of place you'd expect to find a delicious chicken Parmesan. But Fazoli's baked chicken Parmigiano is surprisingly tasty. It starts with a bowl of spaghetti with marinara sauce, topped with a whole Parmesan-crusted chicken breast, more marinara, and provolone and mozzarella cheeses, baked until they're golden and bubbly.

It may not be the place you take a date, but Fazoli's is the perfect spot for a quick carryout lunch in the middle of a busy workday when you're craving Italian food but don't have time to sit down somewhere more upscale. Each meal comes with two breadsticks for a little over $10, which is an impressive value. Fazoli's is highly rated by fans despite the low price and fast-casual environment, so while it may not be the best chicken Parm in the world, it hits the spot in a pinch.

Lots of Olive Garden dishes come and go, but classic chicken Parmesan is always on the menu. It comes with two whole chicken breasts — a departure from the pounded chicken cutlets at most restaurants — breaded and lightly fried, served over spaghetti with house-made marinara, and topped with melted Italian cheeses for around $20. If you'd rather get a sampling of tastes, Olive Garden's chicken Parmesan is also available as part of the Tour of Italy with fettuccine Alfredo and lasagna for just a couple of dollars more.

Olive Garden gets a lot of heat for not being the most "authentic" Italian restaurant. A lot of that heat is misplaced — most Italian restaurants in the U.S. are actually Italian-American restaurants. But Olive Garden breaks one rule in particular that's difficult to forgive — the pasta is cooked in unsalted water. Of course, the dishes compensate with plenty of flavor in the sauces and other accompaniments, but if the pasta itself is bland, the whole dish is tough to enjoy.

Between the less-than-satisfying pasta and the giant chicken breasts in place of cutlets, Olive Garden's chicken Parmesan has a lot working against it. Still, the portions are sizeable and usually pretty tasty. Plus, with over 900 locations in the United States, an Olive Garden is usually pretty easy to find when you're in the mood.

Giovanni Amato sold his first Italian sandwich in Portland, Maine, in 1902, and in the hundred-plus years since, Amato's has become a local favorite all around Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Amato's menu has a wide range of Italian favorites, including a traditional chicken Parmigiana plate with a side of spaghetti, but the real star of the show is the oven-baked chicken Parmigiana sandwich, smothered in gooey, melty mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Amato's even bakes its bread fresh in-house, a special touch that sets the chain apart from other Italian restaurants, and you can get this full-sized sandwich for around $10.

You'll have to head to New England if you want to visit this regional Italian sandwich chain, but fans of the chicken Parmesan sandwich say they think about it almost every day, so it might be worth the detour. But if you can't make it to the Northeast, you can order Amato's sauce online and have it shipped to your door. It won't be quite the same without the freshly baked bread, but at least you'll get a taste of what all the fuss is about.

Johnny Carino's, a national chain, is a family-friendly, laid-back restaurant that's been serving Italian-American classics for more than two decades. Carino's signature handmade chicken Parmesan comes with your choice of grilled or crispy breaded chicken, topped with tomato sauce and a blend of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, served alongside a twirled nest of spaghetti. Get the regular portion (which is large enough for two to share) for around $20, or try Johnny's Combo, a trio that features chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, and lasagna, for around $25.

If you're looking for a little departure from the classic, try the chicken Parmesan rigatoni festival, with rigatoni and Asiago cream sauce instead of spaghetti, topped with Roma tomatoes, bacon, garlic, and red onion. You can even get a family-sized parm platter for about $50, which is a steal for a night out.

Carino's guests have a mixed bag of reviews to offer. Most love it, saying the chicken Parm couldn't be better, while others complain of rubbery chicken that they suspect may have been cooked from frozen. But overall, the large portions, unique variations, and wallet-friendly price make Carino's chicken Parmesan hard to beat.

Bertucci's, best known for its brick oven pizza, has been making Italian specialties for over 40 years since opening its first restaurant in Somerville, Massachusetts. Since then, Bertucci's has expanded to cover the entire New England coast, from North Andover, Massachusetts, to Springfield, Virginia.

Nearly every made-from-scratch dish on Bertucci's menu — from pizzas to pasta to vegetables to fish — gets its turn in the brick oven with a 675-degree Fahrenheit ambient temperature and 1,150-degree Fahrenheit flames, including the chicken Parmigiana, giving it a rustic, fire-cooked flavor. The chicken Parmigiana starts with two breaded chicken cutlets topped with Bertucci's own pomodoro sauce, made from California tomatoes grown exclusively for the chain, and pecorino-Romano and mozzarella cheeses, served with spaghetti twirled in even more thick pomodoro sauce.

Fans of the restaurant have nothing but compliments about the chicken Parmigiana, but some aren't so thrilled with it, claiming the sauce is bland and lacks seasoning. With mixed (but mostly positive) reviews, Bertucci's is definitely worth a visit if you're already in New England, but you might not want to go plan a whole trip around it.

Giordano's is best known for its stuffed Chicago-style deep dish pizza, based on a recipe for Italian Easter Pie made by a woman known as Mama Giordano in a village near Torino, Italy. But another lesser-known signature item on the menu is chicken Parmesan. The chicken breast is crispy and juicy, the marinara is to die for, and the cheese is melty and delicious. You can get Giordano's chicken Parmesan with a side of spaghetti and marinara or on a sandwich with ciabatta bread, both for around $15, depending on your location. You can even bring it home on a family platter that reviewers say is enough food for a week.

Since opening its first Chicago location in 1974, Giordano's has spread to 62 locations in nine states. If you're the type of person to take a road trip just to try a new restaurant, Giordano's is a place that's definitely worth the drive. Come hungry, as the portions are massive, but be prepared to wait. The line to get a table almost always spills out the door and onto the sidewalk (at least in Chicago), and the pizza takes 45 minutes to prepare once you've put in your order, which is just another reason you might want to go for the chicken Parmesan instead.

The chicken Parm at Old Spaghetti Factory is made with a whole chicken breast instead of the traditional cutlet, which is hard to season and cook evenly without drying it out, but it still comes out tender and delicious, topped with pomodoro sauce and a special blend of cheeses. It's an unusual addition to an Italian restaurant menu, but it adds an unexpected tang to the usual roster of Italian cheeses. The portions are large and filling, and the entrees come as part of a three-course meal with a salad before your entree and spumoni ice cream dessert after.

Old Spaghetti Factory opened its doors for the first time in Portland, Oregon, in 1969 and has spread across the United States from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Louisville, Kentucky, plus 15 more locations in Canada. The ambiance at Old Spaghetti Factory is fun and eclectic, with colorful antique stained-glass lamps hanging from the ceiling and a refurbished trolley car with dining tables inside, perfect for a fun family dinner, drinks with friends, or date night.

The founders of Carrabba's Italian Grill were raised on a fusion of Italian, Creole, Southern, and Western food prepared by their Sicilian family in their hometown of Galveston, Texas. That complex culinary background inspires this national chain's unique take on Italian dining. The menu at Carrabba's is a cross between a traditional Italian restaurant and a classic steakhouse. So, while you'll find all your traditional Italian and Italian-American favorites at Carrabba's, you can also count on perfectly prepared meat dishes, including the chicken Parmesan.

Carrabba's chicken Parmesan features sauteed chicken cutlets breaded in Mama Mandola's breadcrumbs and smothered in house pomodoro sauce and a blend of mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses. Fans of the dish say the chicken is moist and tender with the perfect amount of breading, sauce, and cheese. The standard meal includes penne pasta and a side of your choice for under $25, as a trio with lasagna and fettuccine alfredo for under $30, or you can get it as a sandwich on focaccia bread for around $15.

Carrabba's is as family-friendly as it is budget-friendly. You can sit at the Kitchen Counter and watch the magic happening behind the scenes, and the kids can entertain themselves with their very own hunk of pizza dough while you wait for your meals. It's a truly original family dining experience, and with locations in 29 states, there's probably a Carrabba's near you.

Bravo! Italian Kitchen is a national chain based out of Columbus, Ohio, that's been serving Italian classics since 1992. It has an upscale ambiance that makes it perfect for a celebratory dinner or a date with someone you want to impress, yet a surprisingly comfortable vibe and affordable menu. The menu is loaded with favorites like chicken Marsala and brick-oven pizzas, twists on the usual suspects like crispy breaded ravioli, and, of course, chicken Parmesan.

Bravo's chicken Parmesan is a guest favorite, and it's easy to see why. It features two crispy breaded cutlets topped with a smear of marinara and melty mozzarella, served over herb linguine and even more marinara. One thing that makes Bravo's chicken Parmesan stand out from other restaurants' is the plating. The dish has plenty of sauce, but just a little bit is on the chicken itself. The rest is at the bottom of the dish, under the linguine. This unusual arrangement keeps the chicken out of the sauce until you scoop it up on your fork, so the breading stays nice and crispy until the very last bite. Soggy chicken can ruin chicken Parmesan, and the way Bravo plates the dish makes a world of difference.

Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano is a family-friendly midwestern chain with 16 locations spanning the central United States from Denver, Colorado, to Perrysburg, Ohio. Its menu is an affordable blend of house-made dishes and imported classics, many with a signature twist. The chicken Parmesan, for example, starts with breaded chicken cutlets, marinara sauce, and a blend of Italian cheeses, like most restaurants.

But where Biaggi's chicken Parmesan differs from the others is in the pasta. Instead of the usual spaghetti, Biaggi's serves its chicken Parmesan with rigatini — a ridged tube-shaped pasta — tossed with three-cheese alfredo sauce. You can get it on its own or as a duo with lasagna for a few dollars more, or come in for lunch and enjoy Biaggi's chicken Parmesan sandwich. Regulars say they've never had a bad meal there, so if you've got a Biaggi's in your area, you should definitely stop in and check it out.

Romano's Macaroni Grill is an international chain with 31 locations in 13 states, plus five in Puerto Rico, and one of my all-time favorite Italian restaurants. The vibe at Macaroni Grill is a blend of upscale and family-friendly, with classic European interior design and white paper tablecloths the kids (and you) can doodle on with crayons while you snack on focaccia with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper and wait for the main meal. Why don't all restaurants have paper tablecloths to color on? It should really be standard.

The chicken Parmesan at Macaroni Grill is made with Milanese chicken breast, pounded thin and hand-breaded in panko bread crumbs, topped with melty mozzarella, blistered cherry tomatoes, imported Pomodorina sauce, and served with capellini pasta. The chicken is just right — perfectly crispy and not greasy at all, and my pasta has always been perfectly al dente, despite capellini being notoriously mushy in most restaurants. The fun, casual energy and delicious, well-prepared food makes Romano's Macaroni Grill one of the best chains for chicken Parmesan.

Buca di Beppo, born in the basement of an apartment building in Minnesota, offers true family-style dining with large plates to pass around so everyone can sample a little bit of this and a little bit of that and grab seconds (or thirds) of their favorites. The restaurant's energy is bright and eclectic, with photos of Italian-American icons plastered over almost every inch of the brightly colored walls.

A visit to Buca di Beppo is always an unforgettable experience, and Buca di Beppo's chicken Parmigiana is as memorable as the environment. Fans say it's the best chicken Parm they've had anywhere. At Buca, it's served a la carte in two sizes — small, with three cutlets, or "Make It a Large," with five. But unlike other Italian restaurant chains, Buca's chicken Parmigiana comes with breaded chicken, a splash of marinara, and mozzarella — and that's it. If you want pasta, you can order a family-sized portion of whatever you want on the menu, so you can create more unconventional plates with fettuccine Alfredo or penne alla vodka.

For even more fun, you can reserve a themed table, like the Pope Table with a life-sized bust of the Pope at the center, or the Chef's Table, where you can keep an eye on the kitchen and snag samples from the cooks and servers. Though the chain filed bankruptcy in August 2024 and closed some locations, most of Buca di Beppo's restaurants remain open, so get that chicken Parmigiana (and your seat at the Chef's Table) while you still can.

The first Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant opened in Chicago, Illinois in 1991 and became an instant favorite thanks to its classic Italian-American dishes prepared just like Nonna used to make — maybe not your nonna, but somebody's nonna. The vibe at Maggiano's is upscale and intimate, and plenty of people go there for celebratory dinners, romantic dates, and large group events, but there's no need to dress up if you're in the mood to pop in for a casual meal. You can come as you are because whatever you wear, you'll be treated like family.

Maggiano's chicken Parmesan is spot-on, with two perfectly cooked crispy chicken cutlets topped with marinara, mozzarella, and provolone over a bed of spaghetti. The regular size is enough for two if you pair it with a salad or appetizer, but if you're dining in a group of two or more and having a hard time settling on one dish to order, check out Maggiano's family-style menu, priced per person. You and your party get a three-course meal with a salad, two appetizers, four entrees or pastas, and a sampler of every mini dessert on the menu. That way, everyone can get a taste of a few different dishes, and you can enjoy more of that familial feeling that makes Maggiano's unforgettable.

I chose the restaurants on this list based on a number of criteria, including consistently good chicken Parmesan, unique presentations of the classic dish, and the overall vibe of the restaurant. I based these rankings on my own experience dining at these restaurants wherever possible and also on public reviews. 

In selecting the restaurants to be featured on this list, I aimed to include a mix of large national chains and smaller regional chains but limited the options to restaurants with 10 locations or more. I intentionally included restaurants with a range of prices from budget-friendly to "special occasions only."