Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken (for two)
Simply the best recipe I have ever tried for this long time family favourite. I just cannot get enough of Parmesan Chicken. It is simple, tasty and quick. And to a lesser extent, healthy.
Ina Garten’s version, from her cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, completely demystifies the process of making parmesan chicken. I had actually taste-tested a recipe for Cooks Illustrated that required a lot more faff and the flavour wasn’t as good. I have yet to cook an Ina recipe that has failed me.
My version is modified to suit 2 people, but you can easily double to ingredients to serve 4.
A Speedy Supper
In my ongoing pursuit of finding the ultimate quick, yet homemade, supper (I’m aiming at speed of light cooking with zero preparation and as fast and nourishing as breathing), I have a battery of meals in my burgeoning repertoire of “to be repeated” recipes. This is in addition to my “For One Night Only” recipes, which is to say, recipes that were either completely disastrous, just plain horrible, or price prohibitive. Thankfully, there aren’t too many of them although my mind is sent spinning back, Alice in Wonderland style, to that meal I cooked for my family, preparing a different meal for each person; starters, mains and desserts. What on earth was I thinking?
Actually, the food turned out just fine but it was just too stressful and highlighted the fact that whilst I love food, I am happiest writing about it, reading about it and cooking it on a small scale. Why I chose to put so much stress on myself, in an already stressful life, is beyond me.
Anyway, I proved I could do it, now I can move onto much simpler tasks in life, like getting a PhD in quantum physics or persuading my antiquated boss to get update his website. But enough blood-pressure elevating ramblings.
I enjoy food that I call my ivory suppers, not because I have a love of films with Helena Bonham Carter but for a far simpler reason: aesthetics. They are visions of pale perfection, rustically garnished, not by a gruesome bunch of red currants, but with a simple salad. Prepared, cooked and in our bellies by 7.30pm, no later.
What is Chicken Parmesan?
Chicken parmesan (or Parmesan chicken) is an Italian-styled dish comprising of flattened chicken breasts (with no skin), coated in a deliciously cheesy breadcrumb coating and then shallow fried.
Prep Ahead
Chicken Parmesan is so easy to make, but it appears quite complex, due in part to it being bread-crumbed and then fried, but these elements are actually really fast, so don’t let the elements put you off.
You can save yourself even more time if do the dipping and bread crumbing in advance. Place the coated chicken breasts on a cooling rack placed on a baking sheet, cover with clingfilm or tin foil and pop in the fridge until you’re ready to use them (up to 48 hours). At this point, you could also freeze them in Ziplock bags.
Can I use a different cheese in Chicken Parmesan?
The only other cheese you could use instead of parmesan would be a similarly hard Italian cheese like Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano. Both have a very similar flavour to parmesan, and could be interchangeable. You could also use the Spanish Manchego, again it has a similar tangy flavour and hard texture. Any other cheese will just be melty and very messy to fry!
Chicken Sandwich?
The next time I make this recipe, I really want to make a sandwich out it, stuffing a soft white roll with lettuce, mayonnaise and tomatoes and then a thick slab of crisp-coated, cheesy, tender chicken. I think that would be ultimate chicken sandwich.
How to serve Parmesan Chicken
Some recipes like to add a simple marinara sauce to be served as a saucy bed for the cooked parmesan chicken. You could then serve this with a simple salad and perhaps some linguine.
I like to serve mine in a more British way, with some roasted potatoes and a salad, and then maybe some mayonnaise on the side. Truly diabolical I know.
INA GARTENS’S PARMESAN CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 Egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
- ⅓ cup Dry breadcrumbs or panko
- 30 g Parmesan (or Parmigiano Reggiano) finely grated
- 20 g Butter
- 2 tbsp Oil for frying. I use olive oil.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Flatten the chicken breasts so that they are ¼" thick. It is easiest to lay them, a breast at a time, in either a strong plastic sandwich bag or between two layers of clingfilm and gently whack them with a rolling pin.
- Get three plates or shallow bowls laid out on your workshop.
- Fill the first one with the flour, salt and pepper (whisk lightly to incorporate).
- The second one with the beaten egg that has been whisked with a tablespoon water.
- The third bowl with the breadcrumbs mixed with the grated parmesan.
- This is your dipping and coating conveyer belt. Your hands will get extremely sticky and parmesan encrusted, so you might want to have some kitchen roll to hand.
- Dip your flattened chicken pieces into the flour, making sure it is completely, but lightly covered on all sides and edges. Dip quickly into the egg, again ensuring that it gets a saffron coloured tan.
- Then dip into the breadcrumbs/parmesan mixture, ensuring a good coating.
- If I still have some parmesan coating left, I like to dip again into the egg, then pack in the parmesan breadcrumbs, thereby giving the chicken a double coating.
- At this point, I like to chill the coated chicken breasts, just to "set" the coating, but this is optional.
- Heat about 20g butter and olive oil in a deep frying pan (I use a sauté pan) until melted and starting to sizzle gently.
- Cook your dipped chicken in the sizzling butter/oil and cook over a medium high heat until a deep golden brown on each side (approximately 3-4 minutes per side, more if your chicken is a bit thicker than the ¼” specified and lets be honest, who bothers measuring with a ruler?).The chicken should register 72℃ on a meat thermometer.NOTE: If the oil is too high, it will get sullied with little burnt black bits and spoil the look of the chicken, not to mention it will cook the outside too quickly, leaving the middle raw.
- Remove from the pan and place onto a plate lined with kitchen roll to blot up any excess oil, there shouldn’t be much. Serve with a fresh green salad and some ranch dressing.
