We Haven't Tried A Better Chain Restaurant Chicken Parmesan Dish Than This One

It would be near-impossible to talk about Italian-American cuisine at any length without mentioning chicken Parmesan. Even "meh" chicken Parm is still pretty good, but for the best chicken Parmesan, the formula is as follows: no soggy cutlet, not too much sauce, and just the right amount of herbs. Happily, there's one restaurant that totally nails it. In Tasting Table's ranking of the chicken Parmesan from 13 popular chain restaurants, the chicken Parmesan from Maggiano's Little Italy absolutely swept the competition.

Here at Tasting Table, we're longtime fans of Maggiano's Little Italy for its unique intersection of high-quality dining and patron accessibility. Maggiano's even dominated our ranking of 11 Italian chain restaurants, leaving Carrabba's, Brio, Buca di Beppo, and several others in the dust. Fittingly, the chicken Parms we taste-tested from these competitor chains were also ultimately outranked by Maggiano's. As noted in our review, "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."

Maggiano's Little Italy boasts majority five-star reviews on Yelp, and multiple customer testimonials similarly praise the large portion sizes and high food quality. At a Maggiano's Little Italy location in Chicago, "The Grand" Chicken Parmesan dinner with whole-milk mozzarella, fresh basil, rigatoni, and marinara costs $28.50, or $10 more for a double-sized portion — a cost-effective promotion for taking home leftovers or a meal for the next day.

On the whole, Maggiano's menu is admittedly pricier than, say, Olive Garden's. But, unlike other fast-casual Italian-American chains, foodies turn to Maggiano's for its high-end atmosphere, complete with chandeliers, candles, and white tablecloths, with similarly elevated plating — it certainly isn't giving "chain restaurant" vibes. The chain's entire concept centers around attention to both value and detail. Last year, Maggiano's Little Italy even appointed Michelin-starred chef Anthony Amoroso as its first-ever Vice President of Innovation and Growth, bringing fine-dining quality to a relatively consumer-friendly price point. In total, a complete sit-down meal at Maggiano's shakes out to around $50 per person.

One Instagram post (with hundreds of likes) shares a video of Maggiano's chicken Parm being assembled with gooey, bubbling cheese and fresh basil leaves plated with tweezers (yes, really). The caption reads, "Mozzarella, basil, and a whole lot of artistry. The perfect finishing touches are part of what make 'The Grand' Chicken Parmesan so grand," to which commenters rave about that trademark cheese bubble. Fans rely on Maggiano's for familiar Italian favorites, consistently well-executed — and, for true chicken-Parmesan-lovers, this chain belongs on your radar.