I thought chicken parmesan couldn't be improved. Keep in mind that the words I'm about to say are reserved for only a few particular incidences and are usually very hard for me to utter, but this deserves them: I WAS WRONG. I have made my fair share of chicken parmesan recipes, but none can compare to this one. Upon tasting it my brother said it was better than any he's ever had in restaurants (he orders the dish everywhere) and my mom simply predicted that my marriage to whoever I marry was going to be a happy one. The homemade marinara sauce is so rich and tasty and the goat cheese gives it a delightful creaminess. The three-step breading process protects the chicken breast from drying out and makes for the juiciest chicken parmesan ever. Find an excuse to make this. It could be your second cousin's birthday, your 53rd date, your little sister's A in spanish class, or your turtle's quinceañero, whatever you want! Just make it. It is extraordinarily delicious!
Step 1 in this fabulous process is to set your oven to 350. Next, place your chicken cutlets inside a large Ziploc bag and grab a mallet. Before the pounding commences, take a moment to think about anything that has recently stressed you out. Now thoroughly enjoy pounding the chicken cutlets until they are level. It is not necessary to pound them extremely thin, just enough so that they are a uniform thickness (about 1/4 inch or so).
Now you gotta set up the breading stations. Grab three large shallow dishes. The first one will have flour, the second, eggs; and the third, breadcrumbs. Season the first two with salt and pepper, and beat the eggs with a fork.
In a 9x12 baking pan (mine was a bit smaller) spread out 1 cup of marinara sauce and set next to a large saucepan. In said saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering, but not smoking, over medium high heat. With a pair of tongs, dip each chicken cutlet in the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs and place immediately in hot pan. Turn the heat down to medium or medium low and gently fry for 2-4 minutes on each side or until a dark golden brown.
Transfer the chicken cutlets from the frying pan to the baking pan with the sauce. Mine barely fit, but *enter Linkin' Park* in the end it doesn't even matter. ♫
And now comes my favorite part. DA CHEESE!!!! After smothering the chicken breasts with the rest of the sauce (a heaping 1 cup), take half a log of goat cheese and crumble it over the chicken. Then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over it as well.
Bake for 10-12 minutes uncovered (until all the cheese is melted), and then turn on the broiler for a few minutes and leave the oven door slightly open so that the cheese browns. Keep a careful watch on it to be careful it doesn't burn. This last step of browning the cheese is totally optional, but I think it makes it sexier!
Sprinkle with parsley and serve. We ate ours with tostones and mayoketchup. Puerto Rico lo hace mejor. ;)
Here's your key to a wonderful meal:
Goat Cheese Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients:
Preparation Instructions:
- 4 chicken breast cutlets
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs with cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 heaping cups homemade marinara sauce, or jarred marinara sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 oz goat cheese
- Fresh parsley
Preparation Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Place chicken cutlets in large ziploc bag and pound with mallet until even. They should all be about 1/4 inch thick.
- In three large shallow dishes set up the breading stations. Pour the flour into the first dish and season with salt and pepper. In the second dish beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper as well. Pour the breadcrumbs into the third dish.
- Ladle 1 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x12 baking pan and place next to the large saucepan you'll be cooking the chicken in.
- Heat the olive oil in the saucepan over medium high heat. When it's shimmering, but not smoking, dip each chicken cutlet in the three stations with a pair of tongs and place in the hot pan.
- Lower heat to medium or medium low and gently fry chicken for 2-4 minutes on each side or until a dark golden brown.
- Transfer each cutlet from the frying pan directly into the baking pan with the sauce.
- Smother the rest of the marinara sauce over the chicken.
- Crumble the goat cheese and sprinkle the mozzarella over the chicken.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes uncovered until the cheese is melted.
- Optional: After baking, put the oven on broil and brown the cheese. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Also optional: Sprinkle fresh parsley over the chicken.
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