Chicken Parmesan

Description

This variant of the classic italian chicken parmesan has less sauce and a crispier crust. One of the biggest mistakes that is commonly made with homemade chicken parmesan is many recipes often use too much sauce, leading to a soggy crust with poor texture. This is mitigated by adding sauce to the top of the chicken cutlet and not the bottom.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs, or more as needed
• 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 1/2 cup of olive oil for frying, or as needed
• 1/2 cup of prepared tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup of fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup of fresh basil
• 1/2 cup of grated provolone cheese
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
2. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic on a solid level surface.
3. Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to 1/2 inch thickness
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle flour until the chicken is coated evenly on both sides
5. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside
6. Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in seperate bowl
7. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat chicken evenly with bread crumbs and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes
8. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat until it begins to shimmer
9. Cook chicken in the skillet until golden, about 2 minutes per side
10. Transfer chicken to baking dish. Top each breast with 2 tablespoons tomato sauce and layer each breast with mozzarella, basil, and provolone
11. Sprinkle leftover Parmesan over top of the breasts and drizzle each with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
12. Bake in oven until cheese is golden brown and the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Thermometer should read at least 165 degrees F

Chef's Tip

Use high quality prepared tomato sauce for a better end result. You may substitute pesto or dried italian herbs of your choice for basil, or omit entirely