Hello friends! I love Italian food, don’t you? There is just something festive and inviting about the smells, tastes, and textures of the cuisine. Whether gourmet Sicilian or Tuscan, or just plain old pasta and red sauce (well, in my kitchen, nothing will every be plain old anything!), Italian food is made for pleasure and fit to feed a family. I love that.
Okay, on to the food. This one will take a while, and I want to state right from the beginning that when I cook Italian, I cook to taste. That means that the measurements I’m providing are approximate. You may notice that my recipe varies from traditional Chicken Parm. I put my Parmesan in the breading of the chicken rather than on top. I do this for two reasons. First, I want the chicken to have a distinct and pleasing flavor of its own. The breading is a major part of that. The other reason is that I really loveMozzarella cheese. I hope you don’t mind.
Chicken Parmagiana di Kate
One day before dinner (yes, this one takes time!) – marinate 6 (or however many you need) small to medium sized chicken breasts. I usually buy large ones and cut them in half. Put about 2 tablespoons of garlic salt, 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper, and roughly 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce in a large mixing bowl. Add a little water and stir until the salt dissolves. Add your chicken to the mixing bowl and add water until the chicken is completely immersed. Cover and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
A few hours before dinner, put together your sauce. The longer you can allow it to simmer, the more the flavors will meld.
My sauce for CPdK
1 – 28 oz. can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 – 15 oz. can of Tomato Sauce
2 – cans of Tomato Paste
1 – medium sized White Onion, finely chopped
2 – large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1 – Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Tablespoon – Light Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon – Oregano
1 teaspoon – Basil
½ teaspoon – Fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon – Crushed Red Pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook Temp: Low
Cook Time: As long as you can let it cook
Put all of the ingredients together in a stew pot, or large sauce pan. I will usually let the onion, garlic, and green pepper cook down just a bit in a tablespoon or so of olive oil, just to help them along. Add the tomatoes and spices, and bring the whole thing to a boil to get it cooking, Stir frequently. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover it, and let it go. Stop by to stir it every once in a while. I usually taste a couple times through the cooking and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Now you can go play for a while. This might be a good time to put together some home baked bread, or just watch a little television… you might feel like a nap!
About an hour and a half before you want to eat, it is time to start preparing the chicken, so get off the couch, wash up, and let’s get to it!
My Chicken for CPdK
6 – Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (the ones you marinated yesterday)
2 Cups – All Purpose Flour
2 - Eggs
1 cup – Plain Bread Crumbs
1 cup – Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon – Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon – Oregano
½ teaspoon – Cracked Pepper
1 – slice of Mozzarella Cheese for each breast piece (leave it in the fridge, you won’t need it for a while)
Bake Temp: 350 degrees
Bake Time: Approx. 40 minutes
Get your chicken breasts out of the refrigerator and using a meat hammer to pound out each of the pieces until they are maybe half an inch think. I usually place the chicken inside a gallon size zip-loc bag and use the flat side of the mallet… it’s a little less devastating to my backsplashes and apron. Once you have prepared the chicken, get your dredge ready.
Put your flour in a large dish (large enough to lay your chicken breasts one at a time). In another large dish, beat the two eggs. In a third large dish, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, and pepper and mix well. I think I mentioned in a previous article that I go through a lot of bowls when I cook! One final step, get your baking pan (I use a glass 9X13 cake pan… usually two of them) ready by lightly greasing the bottom. I like to use my olive oil pump to apply just a light coat, but do what you want. Now we can bread the chicken. (This would be a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.)
If you have never done this before, it is pretty simple… but messy. Place a piece of chicken in the flour, rub it around and make sure you coat both sides, then move it to the egg and dip both sides. Finally, place your slimy gooey piece of meat in the breadcrumb mixture, again making sure to thoroughly coat both sides. Place the chicken into your baking pan and repeat these steps with the rest of your chicken pieces.
Worn out yet? Serve wine with dinner. You won’t be sorry. Don’t forget to stir your sauce!
Okay, once you have your chicken prepared, bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. At 35 minutes, your breading should be looking nice and golden brown, and your kitchen should smell amazing. At this point, you’ll want to put your pasta on, so get a pot of water boiling. While that’s heating up, remove your chicken from the oven and place one slice (or more) of Mozzarella on each chicken piece. Return the pans to the oven for another five minutes or so. Sometimes I will turn the broiler on for just a minute or two to help this along, but watch it closely!
While the chicken is finishing up, add a box of Angel Hair Pasta to your boiling water (no you don’t have to use Angel Hair, but pay attention to the cook time if you decide not to listen to me). This will only take a few minutes to cook, and about mid-way through, you should be able to pull the chicken out of the oven. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before you serve it, just while you finish cooking and drain the pasta will do.
Now, to serve this, lay a generous bed of pasta on the plate, put just a tiny little bit of sauce down (acts like paste… keeps the chicken from getting away), and then place your chicken breast on the blotch of sauce. Cover the whole thing with a healthy portion of your sauce and serve. It looks nice with a little fresh parsley sprinkled on top, but you don’t have to do that.
Wow, that as a lot of work wasn’t it? Typing all those steps made me hungry! Maybe I will go open a can of raviolis. Gotcha!
Until next time, happy cooking!
Kate
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