With the evenings getting chillier, the cold salads and sandwiches have gone by the wayside and Mr. Cheese and I are both craving soups and more traditional, comfy foods. The temperatures are creeping into the 50s during night-time hours and chicken parmesan is just what the doctor ordered. The aromatics of the cooking process fill the house with memories of my grandmother cooking on football Sundays, and the flavors make me thankful for these long, chilly evenings.
You may remember from the eggplant recipe, I am not a fan of breaded parmesan dishes. It has always been my feeling that when you are enjoying a tasty eggplant, veal or chicken parmesan dish that has been breaded, you are tasting more of the breading than you are the goodness of the meat or sauce. It may just be because I have not experienced it prepared properly and I haven’t tried to bread it myself. Hmm, maybe an experiment for a future post? If you prefer yours breaded, simply dip the meat into scrambled egg batter, then into seasoned flour. Fry or bake using medium heat until cooked through, prior to adding cheese and sauce.
Chicken Parmesan
-
1 & 1/2 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breasts
- olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon chopped parsley
- 2 cups tomato sauce (my recipe)
- 1 cup fresh, shredded Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (we use Bel Gioioso)
How to Make It!
When using chicken breasts, pound them down with a meat tenderizer until preferred thinness. If you use chicken tenders, there is no need to use the tenderizer. It is a matter of preference. Some folks don’t mind thick chicken breasts but I find they dry out more while cooking. Tonight, we only had tenders in the freezer, so we saved some time and skipped a step.
Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasonings and stir well. Place the chicken and marinade in a shallow baking dish or freezer bag and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken over medium heat, about 6-8 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and coat with tomato sauce, then top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
Place under the broiler on low, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 4-5
Excellent served over a small bed of spaghetti and a small side salad.
Too many good recipes tonight! I need to stop reading about what people had for dinner or I’m going to start dreaming about Chicken Parmesan and Italian Pasta Bake’s (courtesy of IowaGirlEats). But it looks good, so that can only convince me to make it very soon. Thanks for sharing!
P.S. I commented back to your comment on my blog. I don’t know if people keep track of that stuff or not…so I thought I’d let you know either way. Cheers!
Yum! I am also excited for cold weather foods (soups, oatmeal, christmas cookies!)
Looks absolutely wonderful! I’m definitely a tad disappointed. You talked about homemade sushi right before I came (which I would NOT have eaten). You make what looks and smells like a great soup the week I’m there. But I’m so dang picky that I just wouldn’t try it. And then you make THIS, which I would’ve consumed hastily and with joyous glee!
( BUT, I’m inspired to actually try this at home.
Yummy yummy in my tummy!!
Love this recipe!! Gotta try it this week! 
Love your site. Someone posted a recipe on facebook w/ your link. I’m going to try this recipe this evening, but using some panko bread crumbs. Think the boys would like a little crispy. Beautiful website!