Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is another traditional variation of a Chicken Cutlet. It follows the same steps in breading, browning and baking in a tomato sauce topped with cheese. Even though this is called Parmesan, and it is covered with melted mozzarella cheese, this is not called Chicken Mozzarella. The top coating of parmesan cheese plays a major role in the final taste of this dish, so don’t drown it in a sea of tomato sauce or smother it under a blanket of mozzarella. It is all about the balance of all the ingredients coming together to feature the flavor of the tender chicken breasts.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup of your own-made seasoned bread crumbs. (See note below)
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
8 oz of shredded Buffalo Mozzarella cheese. (See note below)
¼ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese. (See note below)
2 cups basic marinara sauce

Breading

Use three shallow pans for the breading procedure. Spread the flour evenly in the first shallow pan. Beat the eggs and place then in a second shallow pan. Spread the season bread crumbs in the third shallow pan.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour. Dust off any excess.
Thoroughly dip and coat the chicken in the eggs
Thoroughly dip and coat the chicken in the seasoned bread crumbs

Frying

Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof skillet. My heavy duty dual handle 16” cast iron pan is ideal for this dish. Gently place the pieces into the pan and fry on each side for a few minutes until they are golden brown, but not burnt.

Baking/Finishing

Follow to my Chicken Cutlet Recipe that is used for this dish

Preheat your oven to at least 350º but no more than 400º. Add the marinara sauce around the chicken pieces, cover the chicken, but don’t smother them with the shredded mozzarella cheese and top them with the Parmigiano cheese. Bake the chicken until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Mozzarella di Buffala Cheese

Not all mozzarella cheese is created equal. We usually associate Mozzarella cheese with the yellow stringy and not very flavorful variety used on pizza. However, the true Italian version is made from the rich milk of the water buffalo. Better grocery stores and specialty cheese shops import fresh Mozzarella di Buffala from Italy. The shelf life of this cheese is only good for no more than four days. Some American producers of buffalo mozzarella combine buffalo milk with cow milk. Either way, the white round balls of buffalo mozzarella are creamier and sweeter than their yellow and more elastic cheese made from cow’s milk. Better ingredients make better food.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, fat granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, and Mantova, in Lombardy, Italy. Parmigiano is simply the Italian adjective for Parma; the French version, Parmesan, is used in the English language. The term Parmesan is also loosely used as a common term for cheeses imitating true Parmesan cheese, especially outside Europe; within Europe, the Parmesan name is classified as a protected designation of origin.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano

Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Most commercial seasoned bread crumbs are full of preservatives and sodium. Keep your day old and/or new hearty Italian bread pieces and bake them in the oven until they are crisp, but not dark brown. Add seasonings of your choice, such as oregano, basil, onion and garlic powder, or whatever you have available. Run them through a food processor and you have your own custom stand-bye seasoned bread crumbs that are rich in flavor and devoid of chemicals. You can further customize your bread crumbs for the type of ingredient that you are breading. An Old Bay type seasoning is an ideal mixture to add to your bread crumbs for coating fish

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