Chicken Parmesan

Ah, Chicken Parmesan.  Who doesn't love it?  If you don't love it then you've never had it.  Crispy chicken topped with Parmesan, served over pasta and covered with sweet and tangy marinara.  Serve with a salad and some bread and you'll feel just like Giada de Laurentiis.

Some key ingredients here:

Parmesan Cheese!  Obviously this is important, being one of the title ingredients.  If you really want this to be great, buy the BLOCK of Parmesan, not the stuff in the green can.  Here's what it looks like:

In my beloved Publix, it's in the deli section of the store (not the normal cheese section).  It is not cheap, but it will last a while. And it's so much better in every way.  Probably because you're eating actual cheese instead of some chemically-enhanced cheese powder business.  Kinda gross once you think about it.

Panko!

AKA Japanese breadcrumbs.  These add a delicious, light crispiness that is key to the texture of this dish and so many others.  Pick some up, you'll love em.

And if you don't know, now you know.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (mine totaled 2.3 lbs)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup red wine

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp sugar

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)

 

The first step is to prepare your chicken.  Cut each breast in half lengthwise, so it's the same size, but half the thickness.  

Like so:

Now you'll have six pieces instead of three.  Place all your chickens between two sheets of plastic wrap.  Then get out your meat mallet, rolling pin, or big heavy can, and pound the chicken til it's nice and even and thin.  Go for around 1/2 inch at the thickest.

Yay!  Pounding chicken is fun.  Salt and pepper each piece to your liking.  

Next, you want to bread your chickens.  To do this, you want to prepare three coating stations.  You'll need three large shallow bowls (or plates, just use whatever you have).  In the first, add your flour.  Crack your egg into the second and beat with a fork.  Add about a tablespoon of water and mix it up.  In the third bowl, dump your Panko breadcrumbs.

Here is what your breading assembly line will look like:

Flour, egg, Panko.  Good.

Go ahead and heat your 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Now put your chicken through the assembly line.  First, dunk in the flour, making sure both sides get coated.

Like so:

Next, dip it in the egg:

And finally, roll it around in the Panko breadcrumbs.

Once your skillet is hot, add half your chickens to the skillet.  I am cooking mine in two batches, but feel free to do it in one if you have a monster size skillet. 

After 5 minutes or so, check to see how brown your chickens are getting on the bottom.  When they're brown enough, flip em.

Lovely!

Cook another five minutes or so until done throughout.  It shouldn't take too long since you pounded them so thin.  

Now remove the done chicken from the skillet.  Add 1 more Tbsp butter, one more Tbsp oil, and when hot and bubbly, add the other three chickens.  Cook these the same as the first batch.  Set aside when done.

Now do not clean your skillet!  Leave all the drippings/oil/butter, and keep medium heat going.  

To your skillet, add the diced onion. 

Saute for 5 minutes until getting tender and translucent.  Now add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Next, pour in the wine.

Now it should look very purple-y.  With a wooden, flat-bottomed spatula spoon thing, deglaze the pan (scrape up all the cooked on bits from the bottom of the pan and stir it around).  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until it is reduced by about half.  It should look like this:

The next guest to arrive to the party pan:  Crushed tomatoes!  Add both cans. 

Yum!  Now add sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring often.  

When that's done, stir in 1/2 cup chopped parsley.

Beautiful!  It looks like Christmas and the Italian flag all in one skillet.

Next add the chickens back to the skillet.  Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and the rest of the parsley.  I don't have a picture of this part because sometimes I get scared that Brent's starving so I get in a hurry at the end. 

Serve each chicken over pasta and make sure to add plenty of sauce (see my recipe for fresh homemade pasta here ).