Recipe: Chicken Parmigiana
Italian food was and is my first love. I realize that this dish is not technically true Italian, but rather, Italian American. Doesn’t stop it from being one of my favorite. Only thing that makes Chicken Parmigiana better… Veal Parmigiana.
I do my Chicken Parmigiana a little differently. First of all, the traditional choice is chicken breast, pounded thinly, and then breaded and fried. When eating chicken, I prefer dark meat to white meat. So, I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. My other issue with many Parmigianas is how soggy the chicken gets when tomato sauce is placed over it. So rather than baking or broiling it (my preferred method) with sauce on it, I put just the cheese on top and then place the finished chicken on a plate of sauce underneath it. The result, crispy and wonderful.
Often in America, Parmigiana is served with a side of pasta, but in Italy, generally, pasta courses are separate from Secondi or Primi courses. The meat is meant to be the main attraction, so instead, I serve it with one of the most simple, but amazing salads: Arugula with Lemon and Parmesan. This salad, because of the lemon, cuts through the richness of the fried chicken. It’s a great meal.
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup of Parmesan cheese
1 cup flour
2 eggs
Splash of Milk
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Mozzarella (this is a must. I use Bocconcini and slice it thin)
Basil
Peanut oil
Tomato Sauce
1 large can of tomato puree
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion diced fine (or half of an onion)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4-5 leaves of basil julienned
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ cup of dry white wine
Salad
Arugula
Ideally shaved Parmesan (I had only grated so I made it work)
Juice of a half of lemon
Double the amount of olive oil to lemon
Salt
Begin by turning the oven on to 400.
Take a chicken thigh and spread out between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to pound it until it is even. Repeat with all of the thighs.
Then, in three different contains, place the flour in one, crack the eggs and add a splash of milk into another one, and in the final one, place bread crumbs as well as the Parmesan cheese. To each container, add salt and pepper. Then stir each container separately. For the eggs and milk, whisk until it becomes a homogenous mixture.
Place a large skillet on the stove, add the peanut oil to coast the bottom (we are not deep frying these) and turn the temperature to high.
Take the chicken thigh and place in the flour, coating it entirely, and dusting any extra off. Then, place the piece of chicken in the egg and toss to make sure it is entirely coated. Pick it up with a utensil or your hands and allow the excess egg to drip off. Then, place the chicken in the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Immediately, place in the hot skillet.
Turn the skillet down to medium high and fry each piece of chicken for 2-3 minutes a side. When done, place on a cookie sheet, with a metal cooling rack on top. Cook each piece of chicken and then place onto the cooling rack.
Slice the mozzarella thin and place multiple slices onto each piece of chicken. Then, top each with grated Parmesan. Place in the 400-degree oven for 10 mins.
At the end of 10 mins, check to see if the chicken is fully cooked using a meat thermometer. At this point, turn on the broiler and broil the tops of the chicken till the cheese caramelizes.
Take sauce and place on the plate. (Make the sauce in advance. Recipe below).
Place arugula in a large bowl to toss. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice making sure that the seeds do not fall into the arugula. Add olive oil and salt and toss the arugula until each leaf is evenly coated, but not drenched. Ready to serve. Place in a bowl and top with Parmesan.
Take the chicken out of the oven and place on the plate with sauce. Top with basil.
Bon Appetit!
Tomato Sauce / Marinara Sauce Recipe
Begin by dicing the onion into small cubes. Then smash the garlic cloves and set aside.
In a medium size pot, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pot and turn the heat to medium. Add the smashed garlic cloves as well as red pepper flakes to your taste (perhaps 1 teaspoon most? We are not trying to make it spicy, merely flavor it). Cook the garlic cloves till golden brown. Remove the garlic with tongs and throw away.
At this point add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Off the heat deglaze the onions / pot with white wine. Return to the stove and allow to reduce by half or until dry. At this point, add the tomato puree as well as the spices and salt (save basil for the end). Place the pot back on the stove and turn to low, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes. Add the basil and take off the heat. Sauce is done! Let cool and then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last about a week.
