Chicken Parmesan

Well, the birthday dinner was a big success. Boyfriend loved everything and seemed genuinely touched that I had gone to so much trouble. I must admit, the chicken parmesan was good. Panko breadcrumbs are the best thing ever. Seriously, never make anything that requires breadcrumbs with Progresso in a can breadcrumbs ever again. Fresh or Panko is the way to go. Trust me.

Anyway, when I got home from work I put the marinara sauce on the stove to heat up and began the chicken breading/frying process. Then I assembled the pans of chicken and they were ready to go into the oven upon boyfriend’s arrival.

As always, the better the ingredients, the better the dish — I went for fresh mozzarella and imported parmesan (hey — it was a special occasion), but I also have an Italian market two blocks away. Use the best of what you can find.

The menu, for those who might wish to replicate it was:

• Garlic Bread
• Caesar Salad
• Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
• Chicken Parmesan
• Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Fresh Berries

The chicken parmesan is equally good, if not better, reheated. You can turn it into a sub or make some more pasta and get a few more meals out of it.

I was glad that my boyfriend had a good birthday–he deserved it.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 cups bread crumbs (Panko!!!)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 large eggs, beaten (I didn’t need this many eggs)
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Olive oil, as needed
• 7 cups marinara sauce
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Put each chicken breast between to pieces of plastic wrap and pound them out to a uniform thickness, no more than about 1/3-inch.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, bread crumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.
3. Place the flour in a large plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge a chicken breast in the flour and shake off excess. Then dip it into the egg mixture and finally dredge in the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
5. In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the vegetable oil to a depth of 1/2-inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep-frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F so that the breaded chicken, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
6. Fry 1 breast at a time until golden brown on each side, about 6 minutes total. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt, to taste.
7. Lightly brush a baking dish, large enough to place the chicken in a single layer, with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half of the marinara sauce and arrange the chicken over the sauce. Cover with the remaining sauce. Scatter the Parmesan and the mozzarella on top. Bake until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

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