Printable Recipe: Italian Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Traditional Recipes: Italian Chicken Parmesan

With that history lesson to guide us, let's look at how to cook chicken parmesan... and also how to change up any recipe for different tastes and taste buds.

This basic version is one of my favorite recipes for Italian chicken parmesan. It's easy to make, tastes totally fabulous, and is always impressive. In Italy, they would use a virgin olive oil for frying, but if that's too pricey for you, go ahead and use whatever kind of oil you've got.

Ingredients:
1/2 C. cooking oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, flattened to 1/4"
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 C. Italian style dry bread crumbs
3/4 C. freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, separated
2 C. prepared homemade marinara sauce LINK
1 C. mozzarella cheese, grated

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the cooking oil to medium-high heat in a large frying pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and the garlic. Rub this mixture into your flattened chicken pieces and, if you have time, cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2-3 hours. Even if you don't have time to marinate, don't skip this step-- it really infuses the chicken with flavor.

3. Take the beaten egg and add the salt and pepper. On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs and 1/2 C. of the parmesan cheese.

4. Take each piece of chicken and dip it into the beaten egg, then cover it with the bread crumbs.

5. The chicken should move directly into the heated oil. Once both sides are a golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.

6. Transfer the cooked chicken to a lightly greased baking dish.

7. Pour your sauce over the chicken and bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour.

8. Finally top with mozzarella and cook for 10 more minutes to melt the cheese. Sprinkle each serving with the remaining 1/4 of parmesan right before serving.

Note: This recipe for Italian chicken parmesan is intended to be the main dish for two people, but if there were other components you could make it serve four by halving the portions and adding side dishes. Pasta is always ideal!