Parmesan Chicken
Another Thursday installment of the Barefoot Bloggers, and this Thursday features Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken, a wonderful selection from Megan of Our Baking Adventures. Chicken pounded thin, coated in a traditional breading of flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs/Parmesan, and then sauteed in a combination of olive oil and butter – this is a classic dish that Ina has managed to reliable. Served over a bed of greens, this is a wonderfully satisfying meal.
We have made the same type of chicken dish many times before, but this variation was by far a standby. Perhaps due to cooking the chicken over a medium-low heat was the trick, as we usually cook this type of chicken over medium-high heat, but the resulting chicken was incredibly plush and cooked evenly. We cheated a bit as we already had thin-sliced chicken breasts in the freezer, so we didn’t go through the pounding step this recipe calls for. We also don’t like lemon-flavored things (as many of you have seen us say here), so we skipped the lemon vinaigrette and served the chicken with a spinach salad. A great recipe, and likely the way we will cook our breaded chicken from now on!
If you’re interested in a healthier alternative to breaded chicken that is fried in butter and olive oil, check out our light version of chicken parmesan.
Parmesan Chicken
Yield: 6 servings A straightforward recipe for a weeknight meal- 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) seasoned dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- Unsalted butter
- Good olive oil
- Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup (61 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 lemons
- ½ cup (108 ml) good olive oil
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
- 1. Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
- 2. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
- 3. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.
- 4. To make the Lemon Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Yield: 6 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 15 minutes
- Total: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup ( 125 g ) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ¼ cups ( 150 g ) seasoned dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup ( 50 g ) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- Unsalted butter
- Good olive oil
- Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup ( 61 ml ) freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 lemons
- ½ cup ( 108 ml ) good olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) freshly ground black pepper
Method
- 1. Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
- 2. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
- 3. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.
- 4. To make the Lemon Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
