How To Make Restaurant-Quality Chicken Parmesan At Home
Posted on: 14 July 2015
Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dish in many Italian restaurants. However, a lot of recipes that tell you how to make the dish at home result in chicken that's soggy, sauce that's bland, and cheese that lacks that special gooey texture. You can make restaurant-style Chicken Parmesan at home, but it requires some patience and some special ingredients. If you're feeling ambitious, follow these instructions to create this remarkable dish.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 egg
- Olive oil
For the sauce:
- 1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (no substitutes)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
For the cheese:
- 1/4 cup Provolone cheese, grated
- 2 ounces fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (no substitutes)
Directions
You will prepare the sauce first, and then set it aside while the chicken cooks. To make the sauce, begin by sauteeing the garlic and onions in the olive oil until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, sugar and salt to the pan, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce to the desired consistency. Stir in the fresh basil, and set the sauce aside.
Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/2 inch thick. Then, combine the flour, salt and pepper in one bowl. Whisk the egg in a second bowl. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and a little more salt and pepper. Dip the chicken into the flour, then into the egg, and then into the breadcrumbs.
Pour a generous drizzle of olive oil into a skillet, and turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes per side, or until the breadcrumbs are crispy and a thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the chicken. Divide the cheeses between the tops of the two chicken breasts. Place the entire pan under the broiler, and broil until the cheese is melted.
To assemble the dish, ladle some sauce onto a plate, and then place the cheesy chicken breast on top. Plating the food in this manner, rather than baking the chicken in the sauce as is recommended by many recipes, ensures that the breadcrumbs stay crispy.
Remember to use real San Marzano tomatoes and Parmiagiano-Reggiano cheese in this recipe. These ingredients, along with the methods of pounding the chicken breasts flat so they cook entirely in the skillet, are what set this Chicken Parmesan recipe apart from the rest.
To learn more, contact an Italian restaurant like Ynot Italian.
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