What’s in a name? Sometimes a bit of confusion. You might think a dish with the name Parmesan originated from the city of Parma in the northern Italian region of Emilia- Romagna . Well you would be wrong. Both the island of Sicily and southern region of Campania claim the origins of this dish. There it is known as Parmigiana di Melanzane or Parmesan of Eggplant because of the prominence of Parmigiana-Reggiano in the dish. Author Mary Taylor Simeti offers another interesting explanation in her book, “Pomp and Sustenance: 25 Centuries of Sicilian Food”. Sicilians thought that their local dish of sliced eggplant layered with tomato sauce and caciocavallo cheese was originally Melanzane alla Palmitiana. Palmitiana means shutter in Sicilian and refers to the layered louver-like pattern of eggplant slices. It is said that Sicilians have a difficult time pronouncing the letter “l”, so the dish became known as parmigiana.
Whatever the explanation, Cooks Illustrated offered their second version of Chicken Parmesan in their March/April 2013 issue. It is a lighter version of the Italian classic. I used my own roasted tomatoes that I froze last summer to make a very simple but flavorful sauce. In the Cooks Illustrated recipe the breast cutlets are sliced horizontally, I like to pound mine to an even thickness. The chicken has a light coating of panko crumbs, herbs and Parmesan cheese. Always buy real Parmigiano-Reggiano not the green powdered stuff in a can.
When Cooks Illustrated did their first redo of this classic fifteen years ago in 1998 they suggested using panko bread crumbs, not widely available at that time. Then you could only get them in Asian markets or by mail order. Now every supermarket and big box store carries panko. Even Emeril has his own brand. Panko differs from other bread crumbs because it is processed into flakes, not crumbs. Flakes result in a broader surface area when frying and gives the finished product a lighter crispy coating. A sprinkling of mozzarella and fontina and the chicken goes under the broiler to finish.Only two tablespoons of the sauce top the finished cutlet That way all the components maintain their integrity; the chicken is juicy with a nice crispy crust, the sauce complements without overwhelming and there is just enough creamy melted cheese to coat it . The recipe makes plenty of sauce so be certain to cook some pasta to enjoy it with the chicken.
Chicken Parmesan
Adapted slightly from Cooks Illustrated #121
Serves four
Ingredients for sauce
- 1T olive oil
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2t dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes (I used 2 quart bags of roasted tomatoes)
- 1/4t sugar
- 2T chopped fresh basil
Directions for sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a straight sided sautepan over medium high heat until just shimmering.
- Add garlic, 1t salt, oregano and pepper flakes, cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 20-25 minutes. Since I use my own tomatoes this is the point where I put the tomatoes through a food mill to eliminate the seeds and give the sauce a smooth texture.
- Off heat, stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Ingredients for the chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz each, pounded 1/2 inch thick
- 1t kosher salt
- 1/2c shredded whole milk or part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/2c fontina cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1T all-purpose flour
- 3/4c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2c panko bread crumbs
- 1/2t garlic powder
- 1/4 t dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3c vegetable oil
- 1/4c fresh basil, julienned
Directions for the Chicken
- Sprinkle each side of the cutlets with 1/8 t of salt and let stand at room temperature for twenty minutes.
- Combine the mozzarella and fontina cheese in a bowl. Set aside.
- Adjust oven rack 4 inches from the broiler element and heat broiler.
- Whisk egg and flour together in a shallow pan until completely smooth.
- Combine Parmesan, panko, garlic powder, oregano and a grind of fresh pepper in a second shallow pan.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlet in egg mixture. Allow excess to drip off.
- Coat the cutlets in the Parmesan mixture, pressing gently so crumbs adhere. Transfer to a large plate.
- Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Carefully place two of the cutlets in the skillet and cook without moving them until bottoms are crispy and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Place cutlets on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over cutlets. Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 2-4 minutes. Watch carefully! Transfer chicken to serving platter and top each cutlet with 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle with basil, serve immediately, passing remaining sauce separately.
