While I certainly enjoy eating Chicken Parmesan (my favorite coming from a charming, little restaurant in Madison, IN), I had never made it myself until this summer. In an effort to prepare meals that our intern, Steven, would hopefully like, I asked him for ideas on what to make and this dish was one of his suggestions. So, I found a recipe and gave it a whirl. I'm pretty sure everyone in our family (including Steven) thought it turned out pretty good. It will definitely be a dish that I make more often, instead of only ordering it in a restaurant.
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 3/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 c panko-style bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 c mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1/4 c fresh basil (optional but delicious!)
- oil, enough to just cover the bottom of your skillet
Directions:
- Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally and pound (if needed) so that each piece is ~1/4 inch thick. To do this more easily, place thawed chicken breasts back in the freezer for around 15 minutes (to firm them up a bit), then remove and slice. Sprinkle both sides of each piece of chicken generously with salt and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- In a shallow dish (that is large enough for the piece of chicken to fit into), mix the flour and egg. In a separate shallow dish (again, large enough that the chicken can fit into), combine the parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, pepper, and oregano. Dip the salted chicken pieces into the egg-flour mixture and then coat both sides with the cheese-bread crumb mixture, by gently pressing each piece into the mixture.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; place the coated chicken pieces in the skillet. Cook for ~4 minutes, then using tongs, flip the chicken pieces and cook for an additional ~4 minutes. Both sides should be golden brown in color.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a pan that is suitable for the broiler, top with the mozzarella cheese, and broil for around 3 minutes (the cheese will become lightly golden in color and bubbly); top with fresh basil, if desired. Serve with cooked pasta and pasta sauce of your choice.