Sep26
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Sep1
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken parm is my go-to comfort meal. The crunch of the breading and gooey-ness of the cheese… too good. It always seems so hearty and fulfilling. I recently started making my own tomato sauce and thought it was the perfect opportunity to perfect one of my all time favorite meals. I’ve gone through the gauntlet and made this about a bazillion different ways, changing and tweaking each time. This is what I’ve come up with (serves 4):
Sauce: (which is good on it’s own!!)
1/2 vidalia onion
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
sprinkle of sugar
sprinkle of dried oregano
Heat the oil in a skillet on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of your ingredients and let them come to a rolling simmer. Continue to let the sauce simmer and allow all the flavors to meld together. 12-15 mins and your done! How easy is that??! Better than any sauce you’ll buy in the jar…
For the chicken:
Chicken cutlets (1.25 – 1.5 lbs) preferably cut thin
1-2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 cup of parmesan (freshly grated makes a difference!)
salt
pepper
a sprinkle of dried basil
2-3 fresh basil leaves, slices
8 oz of mozzarella
Preheat your oven to 400. Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan together in a bowl. Next set up a work station with 3 bowls: one for flour, one for the eggs and one for the breadcrumb/cheese mixture. Salt, pepper and basil the flour AND the breadcrumbs. (BE GENEROUS) The sauce is bursting with flavor so you don’t want bland chicken to fall by the wayside. Take each chicken cutlet and flour it, put it through the egg wash and then bread it. This 3 step process leaves for a great crunch and juicy, tender chicken.
Heat the oil on a medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer lay your chicken into the pan. It will begin to fry and turn a beautiful golden brown. Allow for the breadcrumbs to crisp before turning (about 3-4 mins on each side)
Take a 9×13 pan and put a layer of sauce on the bottom. Lay your chicken cutlets on top. Add another layer of sauce. Top chicken with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese in completely melted. Let the chicken rest for about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
