Cooking Lesson #344: Ed’s Greatest Chicken Parmesan

…from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Chicken Parmesan! Ahhhh, a taste of old Italy, right? Wrong! It’s a taste of Little Italy in New York City.
 
Chicken Parmesan has the potential to achieve that rare dinner feat: Pleasing everyone. I think I know why. The dish, also known in restaurant slang as Chicken Parm, actually originated in the northeast United States from Italian immigrants and became a popular staple in restaurants serving Italian-American cuisine. Upon arriving in America, Italian immigrants began to take advantage of America's affordable meat market, incorporating chicken into parmigiana. In the United States Chicken Parmigiana is served as a main course, with a side of pasta.
 
Because of its simplicity, home versions grew in popularity to a once-a-week status. A recipe was published in the 1953 issue of the New York Herald Tribune that used frozen fried chicken patties or fillets along with other pre-processed foods—Yuk!—to make a version of the dish at home. In 1962 a scratch recipe for Chicken Parmigiana was published in The New York Times.
 
Why is it so popular? This may very well be the most crave-worthy food for adults that kids also love. If you look at it deconstructed, Chicken Parmesan is simply comprised of three fan-favorite foods that kids actually want to eat: chicken tenders, cheese pizza and spaghetti with tomato sauce
 
What do the Italians eat in Italy?  Chicken Pizzaiola in Venice or Melanzane alla Parmigiana, a dish using breaded eggplant slices instead of chicken. There are other similar dishes in Italy that use meat. Carne Pizzaiola is a dish derived from the Neapolitan tradition that features meat topped with cheese and often cooked with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and white wine. Beef is used most often but it can be made with chicken or pork as well. A similar dish using veal is known as Cotoletta alla Bolognese, which excludes tomato sauce but includes melted parmesan cheese and prosciutto. Costolette Parmigiana is another similar veal dish, but in Italy it is generally served without sauce or cheese.
 
My version of Chicken Parmesan is a little different than most in that I don’t want to drown the fried chicken breast in tomato sauce giving the dish a crispier texture.
 
Prep time:  25 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Additional time:  15 minutes
Allow a full hour for best results
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
2 large eggs + 2 tablespoons of cold water
1 cup seasoned panko or traditional seasoned breadcrumbs, more as needed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, more if needed
 
1 cup olive oil for frying
1 cup prepared tomato sauce (I prefer Rao’s Marinara Sauce)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 450⁰ F.
2. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) or parchment paper on a cutting board. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2-inch.
3. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
4. Beat eggs and water together in a shallow bowl and set aside.
5. Mix breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese together in a separate bowl, set aside.
6. Place flour in a sifter or strainer; sprinkle over chicken breasts, evenly coating both sides.
7. Dip flour-coated chicken breast in beaten eggs.
8. Transfer breasts to breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs into both sides. Repeat for each breast. Set aside breaded chicken breasts for about 15 minutes to set the crust.
9. Heat 1 cup olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
10. Place chicken in a baking dish and top each breast with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce.
11. Layer each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and provolone cheese.
12. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top
13. Drizzle the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
14. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly, and chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165⁰ F.

 
Cook's Note:
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. If using fresh mozzarella, cut it into cubes instead of shredding it.
 
ChefSecrets:  Ed’s Top Tips for Making Great Chicken Parmesan

• Pound the boneless chicken breasts out to an even width so they cook evenly, about a half-inch thick.
• Salt and pepper the chicken well. Then you won’t have to bother salting the flour and bread crumbs.
• Use Panko bread crumbs mixed with a little finely grated Parmesan cheese. When you fry the breaded chicken, the Parmesan will give it an extra crunch and a real Italian flavor.
• If using fresh mozzarella, cut it into cubes instead of shredding it.
• Most importantly, don't drown the poor breaded and fried chicken breasts in sauce and smother it in cheese. Too much of a good thing is too much. You did all the work creating a crisp coating, why make it soggy with too much sauce and cheese?

Quip of the Day:  "I try not to, but sometimes I get road rage walking behind stupid people in the supermarket."
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