Email to Cat      

Parmesan Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Barefoot Contessa Family Style" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"My favorite restaurant in Milan is Bice. It's the kind of place where elegant Italian men nibble the fingers of incredibly chic Italian women. I often order the pan-roasted veal chop with a salad on top. I tried something similar with chicken and it turned out to be a staple in our house. I love the interplay of the hot and piquant chicken with the cold, citrusy salad. Because you'll need to cook the chicken in two batches (or use two skillets), this is not a good choice for a big crowd."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
â—¦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 extra-large eggs
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
â—¦ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
â—¦ Unsalted butter
â—¦ Good olive oil
â—¦ Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
â—¦ Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)


Recipe

Pound the chicken breasts until they are ¼ inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

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 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese. 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 breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook two or three 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.

Serves 6



Lemon Vinaigrette:

â—¦ ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
â—¦ ½ cup good olive oil
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour enough dressing on the salad to moisten.