Chicken parmigiana, often known as chicken parm, is an Italian American staple from Brooklyn to Boise, a favorite dish at red-sauce joints and on Sunday family dinner tables. Often, it turns up in a sandwich, tucked into crusty Italian bread. The chicken cutlet is usually pounded as thin as a slice of Neapolitan pizza, breaded and fried, covered in mozzarella and marinara, and baked in an oven.
Exactly how this dish evolved from southern Italian parmigiana preparations that mainly used eggplant is a matter of some debate. The story seems to begin in 18th century Naples, with Neapolitans and other southern Italians using abundant melanzane (eggplant or aubergine in English) as an affordable alternative to pricier meat.
The parmigiano concept made it to the United States along with Italian immigrants in the 19th and early 20th century. The use of chicken in the dish perhaps traces to the breaded veal cutlet preparation known as cotoletta. In the post-war boom of the 1950s, as chicken became an increasingly popular meat in the American diet, Italian Americans used breaded chicken in place of veal and substituted the chicken cutlet for eggplant, and chicken parmigiana was born.
Despite the popularity of chicken parmigiana around the United States (not to mention Australia, where it's a pub staple called chicken parmy) and its relative ease to cook, rubbery, over-sauced or insanely cheesy versions are, sadly, more the rule than the exception. But it’s a surprisingly easy dish to execute and to make well. It's a delicious meal served over or alongside spaghetti and with a side of greens such as broccoli or spinach, and used the next day in a sandwich.
(It's worth noting that a chicken parm hero is a fixture on Italian deli menus across the United States, and even spawned a chain of restaurants called Parm.)
For this easy chicken parmigiana recipe, I keep it simple, using a basic sauce and sticking to real Parmigiano and mozzarella cheeses. Use good ingredients and you’ll get good results.
Chicken Parmigiana Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cups plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano plus extra for garnish
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
2 – 6oz. skinless and boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable or canola oil to fry
1 cup tomato sauce
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally and pound with a meat mallet until they are roughly ¼" thick.
2. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano, salt, and black pepper.
3. In another bowl crack eggs and beat to combine. In another bowl add flour.
4. Dredge chicken in flour, then eggs, then the breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken on a plate and repeat with the rest of the chicken.
5. In a large skillet add enough oil to cover 1/8". Heat skillet over medium until hot. Add two of the chicken cutlets and cook until brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a wire rack lined baking sheet. Add more oil to the skillet and repeat cooking the other two breasts.
6. Transfer chicken to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
7. Transfer chicken to the pan or baking dish and top the chicken with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and sauce is hot, about 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with remaining Parmigiano and serve.