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Chicken Parmigiana

Source of Recipe

From "Martha's American Food" by Martha Stewart


Recipe Introduction

"Many of the dishes we think of as Italian are actually Italian American, created by immigrant restaurateurs and chefs in urban 'Little Italys' rather than in their home country. Chicken Parmigiana is a great example of this. In order to cater to their new clientele's expectations, eggplant parmigiana, a Lenten (meatless) dish, was first redone with veal�then the most inexpensive meat to be had�and eventually with chicken, presently America's most popular protein choice by a long shot. Serving the parmigiana with pasta is a purely American take, one first seen at red-sauce Italian restaurants. The versatile marinara sauce works for the entr�e and the side."

List of Ingredients

◦ 2 cups fine plain fresh breadcrumbs
◦ � cup finely grated pecorino romano or parmesan (1 � ounces)
◦ Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
◦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
◦ 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
◦ 1 pound chicken cutlets, pounded to ⅛-inch thickness
◦ � cup neutral-tasting oil, such as safflower, plus more if needed
◦ 1 � cups Marinara Sauce, plus more for serving
◦ 1 � cups coarsely grated mozzarella (5 ounces)
◦ Cooked spaghetti, for serving


Recipe

Combine breadcrumbs and � cup pecorino; season with salt and pepper. Put flour, eggs, and breadcrumb mixture in three separate dishes. Dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg and let excess drip off before dredging in breadcrumbs to coat. Place on a plate and let stand 30 minutes.

Heat oil in large straight-sided skillet over medium-high. (Oil is ready when a breadcrumb sizzles when dropped in.) Working in batches, fry cutlets until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. (If at any point oil becomes too filled with blackened bits, discard between batches, and heat an additional � cup.)

Preheat oven to 375� F. Spread � cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange a single layer of cutlets on top. Top with 1 cup sauce, spreading to cover each cutlet. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and remaining � cup pecorino. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss spaghetti with more marinara sauce. Uncover chicken; bake until cheese melts, about 2 minutes more. Serve immediately, with spaghetti on the side.

Serves 4






❧ Marinara Sauce:

◦ 3 tablespoons olive oil
◦ 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
◦ 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
◦ 2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in juice, preferably San Marzano, pur�ed
◦ � teaspoon red pepper flakes
◦ Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
◦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
◦ � cup fresh basil leaves, torn

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add pur�ed tomatoes and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook, partially covered, until thickened, about 25 minutes. Stir in herbs.

(If not using immediately, cool completely and refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container or freeze up to 2 months; thaw in refrigerator.)

Makes 6 cups