5 Popular Restaurants Serving the Best Chicken Parmesan and Garlic Bread
I love chicken parm. It’s not the most complicated Italian dish in terms of flavor, but it is certainly a crowd-pleaser. What makes a juicy chicken breast with crispy, outside-breading, topped with gooey cheese and flavorful marinara, even more delicious? Garlic and butter-drenched bread. The combo of garlic bread and chicken parmesan will never get old, which is why restaurants usually serve the two together. Where can you get the delicious duo? Here are 5 popular restaurants serving the best chicken parmesan and garlic bread.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Maggiano’s Little Italy recently upgraded its regular chicken parm to The Grand Chicken Parmesan, “bigger, bolder, and better than ever,” the chain wrote in a social media post. The dish is topped with freshly sliced whole-milk mozzarella and fresh basil, a “reimagined, and ready to be savored” version of the already popular dish that has kept guests returning to the upscale Italian chain for decades. And, the garlic bread is legendary. “Fun Fact: our Garlic Bread is filled with truffle butter & cheese which makes it 100% delicious,” the chain recently shared on Instagram.
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheescake Factory’s version of chicken parm, the Crusted Chicken Romano, features a chicken breast coated with a Romano-Parmesan cheese crust, served over angel hair pasta and topped with an indulgent layer of marinara and cheese. If you want to experience it with garlic-like bread, you will have to order it as a sandwich.
Olive Garden Chicken Parm
The classic Chicken Parmigiana from Olive Garden is a fan favorite, served with a hearty side of spaghetti and plenty of melted cheese. According to our reviewer, Matt Kirouac, the “texture is amazingly crispy, resembling a well-fried schnitzel, while the interior remains plump and succulent. Some of the edges were a little burnt, but not really in a bad way,” he explains, adding that there is also a “blanket of gooey cheese.” As for garlic bread, eat as much as you want with the chain’s trademark never-ending breadsticks.
Bravo! Italian Kitchen
Bravo! Italian Kitchen’s chicken parm is traditional but perfect, crispy hand-breaded chicken, zesty marinara, creamy mozzarella, and herb linguine. The parms are so popular that an entire section of the menu is devoted to them, with eggplant and veal options as well. Diners also love the garlic breadsticks, which come with a delicious side of oil.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Carrabba’s crispy, juicy chicken cutlet, topped with its signature pomodoro sauce and melted mozzarella, is Kirouac’s go-to chicken parm. “Everything about this looked amazing, from the even layers of ooey, gooey cheese, hot and fresh from the oven, to the herbaceous sauce, crispy edges on the perfectly plump chicken, and the fact that the staff thoughtfully split the order in half,” he says. Overall, he says the dish is “pretty great.” The chicken, “which was just thick enough, boasted a pleasant crispy texture that held up well under the cheese and sauce—succulent and tender on the inside, while retaining a golden-brown crunch around the edges. There’s a great ratio of cheese-to-meat here, and the sauce lends an acidic zing that helps balance everything out.” The chain serves its famous Italian bread with a garlic olive oil dip, allowing you to make your own version of the classic.