Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head garlic, peeled & chopped
- 6-8 basil leaves, chopped
- 3 (28 oz each) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
For the Chicken
- 3 cups plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 oz (about ¾ cup) grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 (6-7 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups milk
- ¼" canola or soybean oil in 10-12" pan
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (¼ cup per chicken breast)
To Serve
- 1 lb penne pasta
- grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves to garnish
Equipment
- immersion blender
- meat tenderizer
- deep-fry/candy thermometer
- 10-12" frying pan
- tongs
How-to
Make Tomato Sauce
- In a medium pot, heat oil at medium-low heat
- Add garlic and cook until it is a light gold color, and slightly soft, about 2 minutes. You can tell that it has softened if it smashes against the side of the pot inside the pan
- Add basil, and heat about 30 seconds to allow the oil to pick up the flavor of the basil
- Add tomatoes to the oil away from you (so the oil doesn’t splash and splatter), and stir to combine ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Raise heat to bring sauce up to a boil. Once at a boil, purée the mixture with an immersion (stick) blender, or by pulsing in a food processor. Blending the sauce at this point keeps it from turning pink
- Bring the sauce back to a simmer, and allow it to cook over medium to medium-low heat for 1 hour (more or less) to desired thickness
Mix Breading & Prep Chicken
- In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, dried basil, oregano, pinch of black pepper, salt, Parmesan cheese, and set aside
- Trim chicken breasts of fat and bone (if not purchased already done)
- Lay cutting board with a damp towel underneath so it will not slip
- Place a layer of plastic wrap out on your cutting board, and lay chicken on top, skin-side-up (where the skin used to be). Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of chicken
- Pound thickest part of the breasts until the entire breast is the same desired thickness
Bread, Fry & Bake Chicken
- Preheat oven to 400º
- Fill a 10-12” frying pan with ¼” of soybean or canola oil and bring to 325º over medium heat
- Combine salt with the flour in a medium bowl
- Whisk together eggs and milk in a medium bowl
- Set flour, egg mixture and breadcrumb mixture in an assembly line close to the hot oil
- Dip each chicken breast first in flour, then egg wash (allowing excess to drip off), then in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to coat completely
- Place carefully in oil and cook 2-4 minutes per side, one breast at a time. You want a nice golden-brown color along the edges
- Transfer fried chicken to a sheet pan and repeat with remaining chicken breasts. While these are cooking, start a pot of water to boil so that you can drop your pasta when the chicken goes in the oven
- Once all chicken breasts are on the sheet pan, ladle each piece with sauce to cover completely, and top each with about ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Place in the oven and bake 7-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted, bubbly and browned
Cook Pasta, Plate & Serve
- Cook pasta according to package directions
- Once pasta is cooked and drained, and chicken is out of the oven, place the pasta back into the pot and toss with a little sauce before plating
- Portion pasta onto plates. Top with more sauce
- Serve chicken next to the pasta and top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil