The Best Chicken Parmesan by Kendall Oberto
Another ATK classic, I experimented with this recipe for a good buddies requested birthday dinner. It was delicious and could easily be simplified by using a good jarred marinara. I made a few minor changes and scaled the recipe up 3x as I was serving my big Sunday dinner crowd. I fried the chicken about 30 min to an hour before serving, holding it on a rack over a sheet pan until my company arrived. Once collected, I just added the sauce and cheese and completed the broiling step. Serve with your favorite pasta and a caesar salad.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 can (28ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp sugar (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsp coarsely chopped basil
- 1-2 tbsp butter (optional)
Chicken
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, halved horizontally, and pounded 1/2 inch thick
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
- 2 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1/2 cups)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (plain or Italian, I used a combination of both)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup torn fresh basil
Instructions
- FOR THE SAUCE: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter to taste; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.FOR THE CHICKEN: Sprinkle each side of each cutlet with 1/8 teaspoon salt and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Combine mozzarella and fontina in bowl; set aside.Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Whisk egg and flour together in shallow dish or pie plate until smooth. Combine Parmesan, panko, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper in a food processor and blitz until texture is like standard bread crumbs. Place in a second shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlet in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides in Parmesan mixture, pressing gently so crumbs adhere. Transfer cutlet to large plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place 2 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until bottoms are crispy and deep golden brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip cutlets and cook on second side until deep golden brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack and repeat with remaining cutlets.Spoon with 2 tablespoons sauce over each cutlet then sprinkle cheese mixture evenly, covering as much surface area as possible. Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately, passing remaining sauce separately.NOTESDon't skip the whole-milk mozzarella and grate it fresh (lower moisture or pre shredded just isn't as good). I didn't have any Fontina so I substituted gouda (not aged or smoked) and it worked great.HAPPY EATING!!
Shop the Post
