Chicken Parmigiana
This is an awesome dish with great flavor that is a hit with the family. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website.
This is an awesome dish with great flavor that is a hit with the family. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website.
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 chicken breasts trimmed and pounded flat - see notes*
- to taste
- 3/4 cup wine white or red - i use red
- 3 15-oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- thin linguine or fettuccine
- Carbohydrate 31.5785241743128 g
- Cholesterol 113.54578125 mg
- Fat 14.8924222768995 g
- Fiber 4.84405665005489 g
- Protein 47.7202314312894 g
- Saturated Fat 5.97086714317883 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (456g)
- Sodium 658.005097546394 mg
- Sugar 26.734467524258 g
- Trans Fat 1.36844416378895 g
- Calories 467 calories
Step-by-step
- I found out after I made this recipe, if you slice the chicken breasts in half through the thickness of them, it saves a lot of time pounding them out. Start by slicing the chicken breasts in half, and then place them in a large ziploc bag, sealing all but about an inch of the top of the bag at the middle. Pound the chicken breasts with the smooth side of a meat mallet until they are no thicker than 1/4 inch.
- Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on large piece of wax paper. Coat the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, turning and dredging until they are well coated. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted and the oil/butter mixture is hot, fry the chicken breasts until they are golden brown on each side. Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet, and place them on a large plate lined with paper towels. Keep them warm. I set mine in the oven on very low heat (170 degrees).
- Add onions and garlic to the hot oil mixture and gently stir for two minutes. Pour in the wine and still well, scraping the bottom of the pan for any bits of chicken left behind. Allow wine to cook down until it''s reduced by half. Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet, and stir. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the pasta of your choice until it''s al dente, and drain. Add fresh parsley, dried oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper to the sauce and stir again. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Gently lay the chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in the grated Parmesan cheese. Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer until cheese is melted. Place cooked pasta on a plate and cover with sauce. Place a chicken breast on top of each serving of sauce, and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Vibrant crushed tomatoes simmering with garlic, dried oregano, and red wine release a rich, acidic aroma that blankets crisp, pan-fried chicken cutlets under a heavy drift of freshly grated Parmesan. Achieving this balance requires careful management of both your pan space and your ingredient proportions. When scaling this dish up for larger gatherings or down for solitary weeknight dinners, understanding how liquids reduce and how proteins absorb heat dictates the final texture of the coating.
Scaling and Reduction Mechanics
Adjusting portion sizes starts with the wine and tomato base. When doubling the recipe, use a wide 12-inch or 14-inch heavy-bottomed skillet rather than crowding a standard pan; crowding traps steam, turning your carefully dredged cutlets soggy instead of golden brown. Wine reduction times will naturally lengthen when scaling upward, so look for the liquid volume to visibly drop by half before introducing the tomatoes. Conversely, when cutting quantities in half, monitor the garlic closely during the initial two-minute sauté window to prevent burning in the exposed olive oil and butter blend.
- Pound chicken breasts to a uniform thickness of no more than 1/4 inch using a meat mallet so they cook through in the exact time it takes to achieve a golden crust.
- Scrape the bottom of the skillet thoroughly while the wine simmers to dissolve browned fond into the sauce, building deep umami without extra ingredients.
- Hold fried cutlets in a low 170 degree Fahrenheit oven on paper towels to maintain warmth and crispness while the tomato sauce finishes its 40-minute total simmer.
