Chicken Parmigiana
If you’re looking for a delicious and satisfying meal that’s sure to impress, look no further than this classic pub favorite – chicken parmigiana! Made with tender, juicy brined chicken breasts, coated in crispy breadcrumbs, smothered in tangy tomato sauce, and oozing with melted cheese, this dish is a true crowd-pleaser.
This recipe is perfect for a family dinner or a gathering with friends. You can serve it with a side salad and fries or pasta, and it’s guaranteed to be a hit with everyone at the table. The flavor combination of the crispy chicken, tangy tomato sauce, and melted cheese is simply irresistible.
So if you’re looking for a meal that’s both hearty and delicious, give this chicken parmigiana recipe a try. Your taste buds will thank you!
Chicken Parmigiana
Description
A delicious pub classic, layers upon layers on seasoning and flavour – a juicy chicken with extra crispyness.
Ingredients
Chicken Brine Marinade (Note 1)
Egg Dredge
Parmigiana Breadcrumbing
Parmigiana Sauce
Layering
Instructions
Dry Brine Chicken
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Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper and Italian herbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Parmigiana Sauce
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Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
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Add red pepper flakes and herbs, stir for 15 seconds.
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Add tomato, chicken stock, salt and pepper.
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Cover, then simmer for 10 minutes on low until thickened. Cover and keep warm.
Crumbing
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Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
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Crumbing: Spread flour out in a shallow bowl. Whisk Egg Dredge in a separate shallow bowl. Mix Crumbing ingredients in a third shallow bowl or pan.
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Dredge and crumb: Press both sides of chicken into flour, then shake off excess. Coat in egg, letting excess drip off, then place in Crumbing, pressing to adhere.
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Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Frying
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Line a tray with paper towels and place a rack on the tray.
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Heat 1.5 – 2cm / 2/3″ oil in a skillet over medium high heat to 180°C/350°F.
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Carefully place 2 or 3 pieces of chicken in.
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Cook for 2 minutes until the underside is golden, then carefully turn and cook the other side for 1 1/2 minutes.
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Transfer to rack, then repeat with remaining chicken. (Note 10 – oil clean and reuse)
Assembling & Baking
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Place chicken on a tray. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over the chicken – cover around 80% of the chicken, leave the ends crispy.
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Sprinkle sauce with basil, then mozzarella cheese (pile it on in mounds to use it all up), then sprinkle with parmesan. Drizzle oil over parmesan.
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Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and there’s a few brown spots – no longer, otherwise chicken will overcook.
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Remove from the oven, sprinkle with extra basil if desired. Serve immediately
Note
- Brining chicken – essential to keep chicken juicy through the double cook. Dry brining works like a wet marinade to trap moisture in the chicken so it will be beautifully juicy even after the double cook. We don’t want a wet marinade because water will leach out of the chicken and make the crumb soggy.
- Chicken – works like a dream with boneless thighs as well, in fact it’s juicier! Pound to even thickness, use 6 pieces.
- Salt – table salt is finer so by volume, you need less otherwise it will be too salty. Doesn’t matter with the other recipe components, but does matter for brining.
- Mixed Italian Herbs – buy it premixed (it’s a standard dried herb) or use equal parts dried basil, parsley, oregano. Or just basil and/or parsley. Its not essential, but its nice to have a touch of dried herbs in this, for extra special flavour.
- Panko breadcrumbs – larger pieces than normal breadcrumbs which makes for a crunchier, less greasy crust. You can substitute with normal breadcrumbs, or make your own by blitzing stale bread.
- Parmesan types: Crumbing – I like using the sand-like store bought grated parmesan. The grains are larger than finely grating your own at home so you get better flavour pops in the crumb. But grating your own works just as well.
Don’t use store bought finely shredded parmesan that looks like tiny batons – they don’t stick on as well.
For topping – better finely grated yourself because it melts better – the sandy store bought stuff melts ok but will be a thicker layer and doesn’t meld in as well with the mozzarella. - Eschallots are also called french onions. They are the small onions. They’re finer so they meld into the sauce better so you virtually can’t see them, for an extra smooth sauce. In contrast with normal onions, you will end up with tiny little bits – though softened.
- Tomato Passata – pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled Tomato Puree in the US. Excellent for making smooth sauces quickly, rather than 30 minutes simmering to breakdown tomato chunks.
- Oil temperature – if you don’t have a thermometer, check by dipping in the end of the chicken, it should sizzle immediately.
- Oil re-use – because the chicken seasoning is pretty subtle, the oil will be clean and suitable for re-use. Cool, then line a colander with a paper towel then drain oil. Store for another use.
- Storage – best eaten fresh for optimal eating experience as chicken goes soggy from sauce! You can crumb chicken ahead of time then refrigerate (up to 24 hrs max otherwise the chicken will start sweating, and then keep leftover breadcrumbs handy for patching up).
- Cooked – best to keep cooked schnitzel separate from sauce. Cool then refrigerate. Blast the schnitzel in a 220C/390F oven for 3 – 5 minutes to get the outside crispy as possible (don’t go over this otherwise you’ll overcook the chicken), then top with sauce and cheese, and bake.
