Chicken parmigiana, or chicken parmesan is a dish that consists of breaded chicken breast covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella, parmesan, or provolone cheese. A slice of ham or bacon is sometimes added. It is also known colloquially in the United States as chicken parm and in Australia as a parma, parmi, or parmy. The dish originated from 20th-century Italian diaspora. It has been speculated that the dish is based on a combination of the Italian melanzane alla Parmigiana, a dish using breaded eggplant slices instead of chicken, with a cotoletta, a breaded veal cutlet generally served without sauce or cheese in Italy. and pies, and the meal is used as the subject of eating contests at some restaurants.