Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan hasn’t always been my go to meal recipe, but in recent years it has turned out to be my weekly or biweekly rotation dish for sure. I usually gravitate towards Veal Parm but Veal cutlets have been hard to find lately. So I resorted to this recipe to satisfy my Italian meal cravings. It’s a very simple meal to prepare and worthy of your time, effort and grocery dollars. Great as leftovers too.

2 Servings

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

½ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pasta:

8 ounces spaghetti or linguine

Chicken Cutlets:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), halved crosswise

1 large egg

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

To make the tomato sauce: Heat oil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until garlic sizzles. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, and sugar, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook until the sauce slightly thickens and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm. (Remember, this makes twice the amount of sauce needed, so put aside half for another meal.)

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

To make the chicken cutlets, Lay the chicken pieces between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Use a mallet or heavy pan to pound the chicken to about 1/4-inch thickness. Note: If the cutlet is really thick, I usually cut it in half longwise, and then instead of having 2 servings, I’ll have 4 servings.

Beat the egg in a shallow dish until well blended. Season breadcrumbs with black pepper in another shallow dish.

Preheat the oven to high about 425°F.

Working with one cutlet at a time, dip chicken in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. Lay breaded cutlets on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet (this step helps the breading stay put).

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

Fry breaded cutlets in hot oil until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes. Wash and dry the wire rack and return it to the cookie sheet. Place fried cutlets on the clean wire rack.

Top each cutlet with mozzarella and Parmesan/Romano cheese. Bake until cheese melts and is spotty brown, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Portion pasta onto a plate and top each with a chicken cutlet. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato sauce over each cutlet, then sauce pasta as desired. Serve with extra Parmesan/Romano at the table along with side salad and garlic bread.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Ashford University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week. 

Meals for One, Potpourri of Frugality. Kilbride