Chicken Parmesan

Hello, everyone!  Happy Thursday!  The other day, I posted about semolina spaghetti, which I made to go with this: chicken Parmesan!  

What's not to love about chicken parm?  It's fried chicken smothered in melted cheese, served over pasta!  

This really is a quick and simple supper, that comes together in a matter of about 35 minutes.  You can use a boxed pasta or fresh pasta to make this, since the chicken really is the star of this dish.  Even better, it only uses a small handful of ingredients!

Let's get started; the sooner we get started, the sooner we can be finished and you can be sitting down to this easy supper!

Here's your grocery list for this one:
2-3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

2 C Panko bread crumbs

1 C Shredded Parmesan cheese

4 eggs

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp dried oregano

Vegetable oil for frying

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

To start off with, I like to put my Panko breadcrumbs through a food processor, to make it a finer crumb.  The Panko retains a beautiful crunch, but has a finer crumb so that it fries a little more evenly.  

So that everything is the same size, I like to run the Parmesan cheese through the food processor, also.  

Mix the Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a plate; I like to use a cake pan, since it has a deep edge, giving me room to really press the chicken into it.  In a separate plate (or, cake pan), beat up the 4 eggs, until they are well mixed.  

So, we have the Panko and Parmesan cheese mixed up, the eggs beat up, lets not turn our attention to the chicken!

I like to trim the little bit of extra fat off of my chicken, and the little tendon that runs on the side, that is inedible.  Pound the chicken out until it is evenly flat; I like to do this in a zip top bag, so that chicken juices don't go all over my kitchen.  Work smarter, not harder!  Once your chicken is pounded out, sprinkle  it with the salt and dried oregano.  

Okay, this is my breading setup.  I have my chicken, eggs, Panko breadcrumb mix, and a baking sheet all set up in line.  It just makes life easier.  

As you would think, take the chicken, dip it into the eggs, and into the Panko mixture.  I like to double dip with this.  So, I dip it into the eggs, into the Panko mixture, back into the eggs, and back into the Panko mixture, then put the coated chicken onto the baking sheet.

Once all of the chicken has been breaded, place it in the fridge to set up for at least 15 minutes, or up to all day.  I like to line my baking sheet with aluminum foil; easier clean up.  Again, repeat after me: work smarter, not harder.  You'll see why I say this in a minute (yes, I do wash the pan when it's all said and done.  Work smarter, not harder, does not mean that you should give your family salmonella poisoning!)

Now then, once you're ready to cook up the chicken, preheat your oil (about 1 inch of oil in a large skillet); once it has preheated, fry it until it is golden brown, and cooked all of the way through, about 7-9 minutes per side.  

This is the same baking sheet, just with the aluminum foil removed, and parchment paper put down, with a cooling rack.  This keeps the chicken crispy while the cheese melts.  Speaking of cheese, smother this chicken in cheese.  And I mean, s-m-o-t-h-e-r it in cheese!

Put this under the broiler in your oven just until the cheese starts to brown and get bubbly; be careful to watch it closely!  Under the broiler, it goes from perfectly brown to burnt in no time flat.  Serve it with a pasta of choice.