Which Chain Has The Best Chicken Parmesan? Here's What Italiano Fans Had To Say - Exclusive Survey
A Sicilian creation, chicken parmesan was actually eggplant parmesan until the integration of Italian and American cultures (via Paesana). In Italy, chicken was quite expensive, and much to the surprise of Italian immigrants, it was much more affordable in the United States. That's when the once more easily available eggplant was swapped for chicken, and by the mid-1900s, it sprouted in popularity.
Due to this, chicken parmesan isn't exactly an Italian dish, but more decidedly an Italian-American dish. According to Los Angeles Times, this meal won't be found on an Italian menu today. "People have perfect ideas about what Italian food is ... like chicken Parm, which doesn't exist in Italy but is completely married to a concept of Italian cooking here," Katie Parla, author of "Food of the Italian South" said. It might be disappointing to learn the dish isn't authentic Italian, but all in all, it doesn't matter much. Americans seem to love chicken parmesan either way. And when it comes to the best chicken parmesan chain in the U.S., here's what Italiano fans had to say.
Almost half the votes went to Olive Garden
Mashed conducted an exclusive survey to find out which chain serves the best chicken parmesan, and the answer was plenty predictable. The poll yielded 622 votes, with 40.52% of readers agreeing that Olive Garden serves the best chicken parmesan. In 2019, Olive Garden dropped a new foot-long chicken parmesan, an item that has returned to the menu several times since, per Thrillist. The giant chicken parmesan was 11.5 inches long and came with all the usual ingredients, such as marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. As if the large slab of chicken wasn't enough to fill you up, the dish was served with a reasonable portion of fettucine Alfredo.
In second place with a sizeable gap, Carrabba's Italian Grill raked in 18.33% of votes, followed by Maggiano's Little Italy at 14.15%. From there, 12.38% of readers answered Buca di Beppo, and Romano's Macaroni Grill garnered 11.25% of all votes. The chicken parmesan chain with the least votes was Johnny Carino's, with an underwhelming 3.38% of voters favoring it over the others.