CHICKEN PARMESAN

Ingredients for Breaded Chicken Cutlets 

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts split to make six pieces

• 1 tsp of salt

• 1/2 of black pepper

• 1/2 of red pepper flakes

• 1/2 of dry Italian herb seasoning

• 1 tsp of dhana jeerra powder, which is a combination of coriander and cumin powders

• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

• 1 tsp of garlic powder

​

Ingredients for Egg Mixture

• 2 eggs

• a splash of milk

• 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.

​

Ingredients for Breading

• 1/2 cup of AP flour

• 1 cup of Italian style bread crumbs

• 1/3 cup of good quality, grated parmesan cheese

• oil for frying after breading

​

Ingredients for Topping Cutlets

• a jar of marinara sauce

• 12 oz. of fresh mozzarella cheese slices or shredded cheese

• chopped, flat leaf parsley for garnish

​

Method: 

First, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Next, prepare the chicken by splitting them to make six pieces.  Start from the more rounded part of the chicken, leaving the side that is completely smooth on the cutting board, and slice as evenly as possible toward the other end. Then, flatten the pieces with a meat mallet (use the smooth end of the mallet, as opposed to the more textured end) until the pieces are about a quarter of an inch or so—no need to be exact, but we are going for thinner pieces of chicken to tenderize them and have them cook more evenly.

​

Put the flattened chicken pieces in a bowl and season the meat with all the seasonings listed above. Leave this to marinate while preparing the egg mixture and breading for dredging the chicken.

​

For the egg mixture, crack two eggs in a shallow bowl. Then, add a splash of milk and the salt and pepper. Whisk this together and set aside. 

In another shallow bowl, combine the flour, the Italian style bread crumbs and the grated parmesan cheese. I find it much easier to combine the flour and breadcrumbs together. It saves a step in the dredging process and accomplishes the same thing. 

​

Ok, now for coating the chicken, reserve one hand for the breadcrumb bit and one for dipping the chicken in the egg. Dip the chicken in the egg and then the breadcrumb mixture. I like to press the chicken into the breadcrumbs so the coating really sticks. Once all of them are breaded, let them hang out on the tray for around ten minutes or so before frying. This will help the coating stay on the chicken when cooking.

​

Next, heat half an inch of oil in a large frying pan on medium high. Wait until the oil lightly shimmers and then start frying the chicken. Fry each side of the chicken until a golden color is achieved. Adjust the heat accordingly on your stove. The chicken does not need to cook completely at this point, so once you get the desired color, remove the pieces and place them on a baking tray. Add a couple of tablespoons of a good quality marinara sauce on each chicken piece. Try not to cover the chicken completely in the sauce, or you will have soggy chicken. Then place a couple of slices of fresh mozzarella on top of each cutlet and place the tray in the oven.

​

Bake the chicken for around 25 minutes---in that time, you can prepare the accompanying pasta, like my Lemon Butter Spaghetti. The combo is incredible. When the chicken comes out of the oven, sprinkle some parsley or basil on top for fresh, herby flavor.

Enjoy!!