Chicken Parmesan For Two
A cozy and comforting chicken parmesan for two that will warm you up on a cold winter evening. Make it for Sunday dinner or date night in!
Ingredients
- 2 servings fettuccine
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounce canned crushed tomatoes
- 1½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Chicken Cutlets
- 6 ounces chicken breast sliced into 3 ounce cutlets and pounded to a quarter inch thickness
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 large egg beaten well
- ⅓ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese plus extra for serving
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 slices mozzarella cheese
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Fresh parsley finely chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- First, make the tomato sauce:Add the extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes to a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute or so.Then, add the crushed tomatoes and water and stir to combine. Stir in the basil, salt, and oregano, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, or until reduced by half. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
- In the meantime, boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Next, dredge the chicken cutlets:Add the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs to three separate, shallow dishes. To the breadcrumbs, add grated parmesan, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.Coat the chicken cutlets in flour first, then egg, then the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to fully coat each piece and let any excess egg drip off before transferring to the breadcrumbs.
- Heat a quarter inch of vegetable oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add the chicken and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain chicken on a paper towel lined plate.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the chicken to it. Top each piece of chicken with a generous spoonful of tomato sauce, then a slice of mozzarella cheese.Broil until the cheese is melty, brown, and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finally, toss most of the remaining tomato sauce with the fettuccine. Serve pasta topped with additional sauce and chicken parm, then top with grated parmesan and fresh parsley.
Notes
Tomato sauce: Homemade tomato sauce is essential for an authentic tasting chicken parm! But if you want to save some time, you can use jarred tomato sauce from the store. You'll need about 2 to 2.5 cups of sauce total.
Chicken cutlets: To make perfect chicken cutlets for chicken parm, simply slice a chicken breast in half horizontally (like you’re butterflying it, but cut all the way through). Then, pound to a quarter-inch thickness.
Mozzarella cheese: We recommend buying deli slices of mozzarella for chicken parm, since it melts the best. If you can’t find it, the next best option is a block of mozzarella you can shred yourself. Fresh mozzarella typically doesn't melt well since it has a high water content.
Pasta: We like serving chicken parm with thicker noodles like fettuccine or linguine, but you can also serve it with spaghetti (the traditional way), penne, or any pasta shape you prefer.
Frying chicken: If this is your first time pan frying chicken, we recommend having a digital meat thermometer handy to make sure it's cooked all the way through. Shoot for an internal temp of about 160 degrees F.
Serving suggestions: Chicken parm goes great with a side salad, garlic bread, and a glass of red wine! Check out our blog post above for more details.
Scaling: You can easily scale this recipe for a larger crowd. Note that you'll need extra time to dredge and fry the chicken in batches. Optionally, use two skillets to fry more chicken at once. We use both halves of our 2-in-1 cast iron multi cooker when we have to fry in multiple pans.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 787kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 219mg | Sodium: 1642mg | Potassium: 1770mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1419IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 401mg | Iron: 10mg
