Good Eats: Delicious Chicken Parmigiana!

Chicken Parmigiana has always been such a classic go to dish when there are any chicken breasts/cutlets lying around. Its so simple, takes very little ingredients that you wouldn't already have in your pantry or fridge and yet turns out so juicy and delicious! This is something that you can whip up in a jiff if you are expecting company, or like my boyfriend and I love to do, just make it for the two of us :) Hope this is simple enough for you to understand and I hope it warms your tummy sooner than later!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Pound Box of  angel hair (or any long pasta that you desire)
1 Tbsp of Milk
1 8oz Ball of Fresh Mozzarella Thinly Sliced
9 Slices of Provolone Cheese
2 28oz Cans of Crushed Italian Tomatoes
4 Boneless Skinless chicken cutlets
2 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Basil
2 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley
1 Cup White Wine (Remember, NEVER cook with wine you wouldn't drink!)
1.1/2 Cups Plain Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2tsp Hot Pepper Flakes

3 Eggs
Fresh Parmiggiano Cheese--as much as your taste-buds like!
Salt and Pepper, to taste


Preheat oven: 425 degrees

1. Heat 3 Tbsp of EVOO and garlic in a medium saute pan. Saute until the garlic is light brown and fragrant--make sure you do not over cook the garlic because it can burn at the drop of a dime! Add hot pepper flakes (I add a nice amount of these because like you know, I like spicy things, but if not just add a pinch-a little goes a long way)  and cook for 45 more seconds. Add your white wine and let the alcohol cook out and the wine reduce by half about 5 mins. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook your sauce for about 20-25 mins. Make sure to taste every now and then to assure its to your liking.

2. In the meantime, you are going to start preparing your chicken cutlets.  Wash them thoroughly and trim any fat that may be there. Get two shallow dishes for the flour and eggs. Season the flour with salt and pepper. In the bowl with the eggs, combine them with salt and pepper and the milk--beating them all together. Put the bread crumbs on a plate and season with the garlic powder and salt and pepper.

3. Grab yourself another medium saute pan and heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame. Lightly flour both sides of the chicken cutlets, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, next dip them into the bread crumbs coating completely. When the oil is heated enough, add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty then flip them over and repeat on the other side!

4. Once the sauce has been simmering and cooking for about 30 mins, add your fresh chopped parsley and basil. (Nothing will compare to fresh herbs in this so try your best to not do the dry stuff) Next grab your handy dandy ladle spoon and take 1 cup of sauce and spread it over the bottom layer of a 9 by 9 non stick baking dish and place the chicken cutlets on top. Ladle some of the sauce (remember to leave some out to top your pasta) over the chicken cutlets and top them off with a few slices of the fresh mozzarella,  1 slice of provolone each  and a good amount of fresh parmiggiano cheese which you are going to shred with your micro-plane :)

 

5. Bake these in your oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly, meanwhile as the chicken bakes cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain your pasta as you normally do and add that extra sauce that you set aside :)

 

6. Finally you are ready to serve this dish up! Grab a plate and serve each person one piece of chicken that will by this point be oozing with cheesy goodness and saturated in that savory sauce.  I put the chicken right on top of the pasta in the dish and before you know it's gone--that's how good it is :)  Make some quick garlic bread in your oven (which btw you can throw in toward the end of the chicken baking to assure you use as little time as possible!) and your stomach will thank you tremendously!

There you have it ladies and gents, I made this as my family Sunday dinner two weekends ago and I am definitely looking forward to making it again because it was honestly SO simple!  The hardest part was watching it through the oven glass as the cheese became golden and bubbled--I was ready to just take it out and scarf it all up before it was even finished! haha

Oozing with Cheesy Saucy Goodness, 

xox