Chicken Parmesan and a Taste of Betrayal?

When it comes to a favorite dish for my wife, there are few that can compete with Chicken Parmesan. Italian-American restaurants (and many other kinds) all over the country have their own renditions, styles, and recipes and my wife absolutely loves this classic dish. To keep her happy, I try to play nice and make Baked Chicken Parm with Fresh Mozzarella with a healthy twist that may have you trying this at home and leaving the restaurant version behind – dare I say, a taste of betrayal?

To make our baked chicken Parmesan with fresh mozzarella, I start by cleaning the chicken breasts and trimming all the fat off. After, I pound down the chicken to thin out the filets and help them cook evenly (this is an important step to keep the chicken tender throughout). I like to use my pasta sauce for this dish which consists of garlic, onions, bay leaves, basil, carrots and olive oil as a base followed by crushed San Marzano tomatoes slow cooked for 3-4 hours. Now if you don’t have the time or have your own sauce, feel free to substitute or you can make a quick sauce with San Marzano crushed tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Now, rather than add an egg to help keep the breadcrumbs sticking to the chicken, I prefer to lightly brush the chicken with olive oil or run the chicken under water (this helps cut out some of the additional fat you might find in a restaurant version). Once the breadcrumbs have been added, add sauce to the baking dish and then place the breaded chicken filets on top. Add another layer of sauce (thicker if you prefer) and thin slices of fresh mozzarella (you can add finely chopped basil leaves on top as well). Then add a little more sauce on top with a sprinkling of grated Reggiano Parmigiano.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and add your baked chicken Parmesan, covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes. It’s a really simple recipe with an excellent result. My wife is a big fan of this recipe so I’m sure I’ll be preparing this again very soon in the near future. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as she does! So there you have it, Paggi Pazzo’s Baked Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella, enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella Recipe

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• (2) 8 ounce chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmigiano
• 12 ounces crushed tomatoes (San Marzano)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 small carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Cooking Directions

1. To make sauce, chop garlic, basil, and onion finely (if you have sauce, skip this part and go directly to adding sauce to the baking pan)
2. Add olive oil to pot with garlic, onion, pinch of basil, pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes at low heat
3. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and carrot (I usually cook my sauce for 3-4 hours but 45 minutes is acceptable in this case as the sauce will cook another 45 minutes in the chicken parmesean)
4. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
5. Clean chicken cutlets and then slightly flatten to thin out, then cover in breadcrumbs on both sides
6. Add sauce to oven pan and smooth around base, then add chicken cutlets on top
7. Add a light layer of sauce over chicken cutlets and then slice fresh mozzarella over sauce.
8. Add another thicker layer of sauce over fresh mozzarella and then spread Reggiano Parmigiano over cutlets
9. Cover pan with aluminum foil and place in oven for 45 minutes.
10. Take out of oven and let sit for 5 minutes then serve