8 Restaurant Chains With the Best Chicken Parm Subs
Many sandwiches are great, but there's just something extra special about a chicken parm sub. Warm, crispy, gooey, saucy, and filling, this hot sub is the best of two worlds—it combines the flavor of a chicken parmesan entrée with the handheld convenience of a sandwich. Enjoyed for lunch or dinner, a chicken parm sub is an excellent choice for something quick and easy that doesn't skimp on flavor or texture.
Chicken parmesan has been in the spotlight for decades. This popular Italian-American dish is believed to have originated in Italian immigrant communities in the Northeast and made its way onto Italian-American restaurant menus by the 1950s. It is usually prepared with crispy chicken cutlets, melted mozzarella or provolone cheeses, and marinara sauce, and the sandwich versions of the tasty dish follow a similar formula.
If you're in the mood for a chicken parmesan sandwich but don't feel like spending hours in the kitchen frying, melting, and assembling, you're in luck. Many Italian-American restaurant chains and sandwich shops make great versions of this hot sub. Read ahead for eight chains that serve the best chicken parm sub.
Maggiano's Little Italy
Calories: 1,330
Fat: 70 g (Saturated Fat: 20 g)
Sodium: 1,980 mg
Carbs: 122 g (Fiber: 12 g, Sugar: 15 g)
Protein: 55 g
People rave about Maggiano's chicken parmesan. One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote that the restaurant has "the best chicken parmesan." Maggiano's version is made with melted provolone cheese and tangy marinara sauce and is served with a side of crispy Vesuvio potatoes seasoned with lemon and garlic.
Romano's Macaroni Grill
Calories: 1,270
Fat: 63 g (Saturated Fat: 7 g)
Sodium: 1,580 mg
Carbs: 110 g (Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 6 g)
Protein: 65 g
The lunch menu at Romano's Macaroni Grill features a chicken parmesan sandwich that's so tasty you might forget about the rest of the menu. This Italian restaurant chain's variation is prepared on a toasted hero and served with truffle fries and house-made ketchup.
Macaroni Grill is also known to serve a top-tier chicken parmesan entrée. One Tripadvisor reviewer described it as "delicious" and "excellent"—so don't be surprised if this chicken parm sandwich blows you away. Other menu highlights include the chicken marsala, mushroom ravioli, and penne rustica, made with a medley of proteins, including roasted chicken, shrimp, and prosciutto.
The Cheesecake Factory
Calories: 1,960
Fat: 126 g (Saturated Fat: 60 g)
Sodium: 3,510 mg
Carbs: 99 g (Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 9 g)
Protein: 107 g
Lo and behold, the popular chain makes a delicious chicken parmesan sandwich. It's prepared with juicy chicken lightly coated in parmesan breadcrumbs, flavorful tomato sauce, and melted cheese stacked on a freshly grilled French roll. This Cheesecake Factory dish also comes with french fries or a green salad, or you can pay a little extra and get either sweet potato fries or a Caesar salad.
Carmine's
Carmine's may be best known for its family-style dishes and lively atmosphere, but the chicken parmesan sandwich lunch special is worth a try. Available weekdays until 3 p.m. at the bar, Carmine's chicken parm hero features pan-fried chicken cutlets, melted cheese, and marinara sauce placed on a toasted hero roll. It also comes with a side of Italian house salad, packed with pepperoncini and roasted red peppers.
Mendocino Farms
Calories: 940
Fat: 49 g (Saturated Fat: 12 g)
Sodium: 2030 mg
Carbs: 75 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 4 g)
Protein: 46 g
With dozens of locations in cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, and Seattle, Mendocino Farms is the lovable fast-casual restaurant chain that serves some of the best sandwiches around. If you're lucky enough to live near a location, try the chicken parm dip. It features shaved, roasted chicken breast, melted mozzarella and provolone cheeses, pomodoro sauce, Calabrian chili aioli, Italian basil, and a sprinkling of Mendo's krispies, a buttermilk-polenta topping piled high on a toasted sesame seed roll.
Which Wich
Calories: 520-1030
Which Wich's chicken parmesan sandwich, made with chicken cutlets, marinara, and melted mozzarella cheese, is in a league of its own. For starters, it's offered in three sizes—small, large, and super—and can be made into a bowl or a wrap, or the bread can be subbed out for lettuce. Vegetables, such as hot pepper mix, olive salad, banana peppers, and crispy onion strings, can be added at no extra charge, and mozzarella can be switched out for alternatives like provolone. The options are endless.
Penn Station East Coast Subs
Calories: 601
Fat: 19 g (Saturated Fat: 10 g)
Sodium: 1,435 mg
Carbs: 68 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 3 g)
Protein: 40 g
Founded nearly 40 years ago in Cincinnati, Ohio, Penn Station Subs makes East Coast-style sub sandwiches and has more than 300 locations throughout the United States. Its menu features a long list of sandwiches, including classic Italian, turkey and avocado, and Reuben, but one can't-miss pick is the chicken parmesan. It's made with grilled chicken breast, melted provolone and Parmesan cheeses, a sprinkling of oregano, and pizza sauce, with a choice of sauteed onions and fresh mushrooms. It's an excellent choice for those who don't want fried chicken.
Firehouse Subs
Calories: 1,850
Fat: 100 g (Saturated Fat: 38 g)
Sodium: 2,050 mg
Carbs: 118 g (Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 18 g)
Protein: 73 g
Firehouse Subs' chicken parm sandwich is a limited-edition menu item, but it's still worth a mention. This sandwich chain's version is different from the rest on this list. For starters, the restaurant uses chicken meatballs instead of chicken cutlets. These meatballs are stacked on a toasted garlic bread roll and covered in bright marinara, shaved parmesan, melted provolone, and crispy Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs. Make sure to snatch this one up before it's too late.
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