Chicken Parmesan
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Chicken Parmesan has become a family favorite at my house. It’s delicious and comforting. It requires a little bit of work but it is well worth it in the end. Follow my steps and you will have the best chicken parmesan with fresh pasta on your dinner table!
The key to chicken parmesan is to make CRISPY chicken. How do we do that? There are a few tips I’ll share to ensure your chicken is truly crispy and delicious.
1.) Slice chicken breast in half and pound it out. You want a thin chicken breast so it cooks quickly.
2.) First dredge chicken in flour then egg then breadcrumbs. Dredging in flour first helps give the egg something to stick to which allows for a wonderful crust.
3.) Use panko breadcrumbs if you can. They are extra crunchy!
I’ve been making chicken parmesan for a few months to make sure I’ve nailed the recipe. My family LOVES it.
It does require some effort so I do suggest reading through the entire recipe before starting and prepping everything to make the process go smoothly. I also suggest making the tomato sauce ahead of time.
However, it’s well worth the time as it’s truly a delicious meal. It’s also wonderful as leftovers so you can at least get lunch out of it, too!
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken parmesan is a family favorite meal. Fresh tomtato sauce is simmered while you fry up crispy chicken then bop it all in the oven to melt mozzarella cheese on top!
Ingredients
- CHICKEN:
- 3 chicken breasts, sliced in half
- 2 cups Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- salt and pepper
- Dried basil, oregano, parsley and garlic (see recipe for directions)
- TOMATO SAUCE:
- 2, 28 ounce cans san Marzano whole tomatoes
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional for spice)
- Handful fresh basil
- OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound pasta of your choice
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- To make the tomato sauce, add butter to a large saute pan and place over medium low heat. Add garlic and red pepper (if using for spice) and saute for 1-2 minutes - do not burn! Add tomatoes with juices, salt and sugar. Using a fork gently break up the tomatoes then stir and let simmer on low for atleast 30 minutes - the longer the better! At the end of cooking add fresh basil. You can make the sauce ahead of time, the day before.
- To make the chicken, slice it in half so you have 6 thin pieces. Using a meat pounder, pound each piece a little to help tenderize the chicken (if you don't have a meat pounder this step isn't absolutely necessary but a small sauce pan would also work to help pound it out)
- Next, season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Next, prepare your dredging station. You will need three separate pans - like an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Or a shallow bowl will also work. To each pan or bowl, add flour to one, bread crumbs to one and 3 beaten eggs to the other. If you can't find Italian seasonsed bread crumbs, season the bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or a mixture of 1 teaspoon each of basil, oregano, and parsley. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and garlic powder as well. Lastly, add the 1/4 cup parmeasn cheese to the bread crumbs and mix well.
- You're ready to start! Take each piece of chicken and first dredge it in the flour, shake an excess off, then the egg then the breadcrumbs. Repeat this with all of the chicken.
- To cook the chicken, add olive oil to a heavy bottomed saute pan or a large dutch oven (I like using my dutch oven to help prevent the oil splatter). Add enough olive oil so you have about 1/2 inch up the side of the pan. Place it over medium heat and wait a few minutes for it to heat up. Add 2 or 3 chicken breasts (depending on the size of your pan) and cook on each side until golden, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and do the same on the other side. The chicken is thin enough that it will cook through. Watch the heat - if it seems to be burning or smoke, turn heat to low. Place cooked chicken on a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet to soak up excess oil. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
- While the chicken is cooking and sauce is simmering, you can boil the pasta according to package directions.
- To assemble, add pasta to a large serving dish, stir in tomato sauce then place the chicken on top of the pasta and sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the chicken. Melt cheese in a preheated 350 degree oven for a few minutes. ENJOY!
Notes
I would make the tomato sauce ahead of time to make the cooking process a little easier and the sauce gets only better as it sits. You can freeze the sauce as well.
