Chicken Parmesan

As you know, tomatoes are at their peak this time of year. As wonderful as they are served freshly sliced in a caprese salad, per esempio, it’s really not a tragedy to simmer them into a thick marinara sauce. In fact, doing so concentrates their already sun-condensed sugars even more to create a lusciously sweet tomato sauce that you would swear had a teaspoon of sugar tossed in for good measure. But there’s not. Tomatoes are running the show here and they wouldn’t stand for it. In this case, I used two pints of grape tomatoes, which are very sweet – the perfect foil for the Parmesan breaded chicken.

Eggplant Parmesan is a dish that I often helped my mother make when I was growing up. By high school I’d mastered the Parm and it became a frequent go-to dish when I lived on my own in college. Though we rarely made Chicken Parmesan when I was a kid, I ventured to make it on my own.

I recently asked my mother why it was that we mostly stuck to eggplant, and her response was quite logical, “I hardly ever make Chicken Parmesan, nor did my Mother make it often.  I always felt that chicken can be done so many ways more than eggplant.” Excellent point, Mom.

For the chicken pieces, I use chicken tenderloins, pounded to one quarter inch in thickness. This allows the meat to cook quickly so that the breading doesn’t get too dark as it fries.

As nice as it is to try new things and experiment with different flavors in cooking, sometimes a classic comfort food is nice too. And to me, Chicken Parmesan fits the bill.

Chicken Parmesan - serves 3 – 6

1 lb chicken tenderloins
1 C buttermilk
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and diced
2 T tomato paste
1 – 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 t finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1 C plain bread crumbs
3/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C flour
1 T dried oregano
1 egg
1 – 8 ounce ball of fresh mozzarella
1 lb cooked pasta
Grapeseed or canola oil

Start by pounding the chicken tenderloins with the flat side of a meat tenderizer (or the bottom of a pan) until they are about 1/4 inch in thickness. Place in a shallow bowl or marinating dish. Pour buttermillk over the chicken, being sure each cutlet is coated. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, start on the sauce by heating the diced garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a simmer. Add diced tomatoes, cover and bring to a low boil. Lower heat slightly and allow to simmer for 2 hours, covered.

Beat the egg in a small bowl. In a large, shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, flour and dried oregano. Working one piece at a time, dip the marinated chicken cutlets into the egg. Allow excess egg to drip off before dredging in the bread crumb mixture. Press each cutlet between both hands to help the moisture from the egg absorb into the bread crumbs. Allow the the pieces to rest for 5 minutes. Doing so allows gluten strands to form between the moisture and gluten in the crumbs, which will help the breading to stick to the chicken and not fall off.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the oil into a saute or frying pan to 1/4 inch depth. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place the the cutlets into the oil, two pieces at a time. Fry for 2 minutes on either side until the crumbs turn golden brown. Drain on a dish or cooling rack lined with paper towels.

Arrange the chicken cutlets in a baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese slices and a little bit of the tomato sauce.

Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Toss the pasta with the sauce and plate with one to two pieces of chicken per person.