Prep Time  20minutes
Cook Time  40minutes
Total Time  60minutes

Chicken Parmesan

Dave Beaulieu October 15th, 2011

Chicken Parmesan should be a goto recipe for any home cook.  It is simple to make, just about everyone I’ve ever met loves it, and of course it tastes great.  It also adds another way to prepare the ubiquitous boneness skinless chicken breast, that when plainly cooked, and be just plain boring.  In this recipe video, I show you how to sear off a couple chicken breasts, top them with my version of a basic tomato sauce, and some mozzarella cheese; then finish roasting them in the oven.  I like to serve my chicken parmesan with a bit of pasta, either angle hair or spaghetti, that I toss with the “pan drippings” after finishing the chicken.  The pasta picks up some great flavor, but is still light (rather than covered in sauce) and goes great with the chicken.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Recipe Overview and Keys to Success

  • Cooking the chicken is obviously very important.  I like to sear mine in a very hot pan on both sides, then finish it in a high oven.  Total cooking time is about 15 - 18 minutes.  I see some folks who bake chicken parmesan for 45 minutes…too long.  That dries out the chicken, and frankly wastes a bunch of time
  • Use a great tomato sauce.  Of course I like my own sauce (make a large batch and freeze it), but I know there are lots of great versions out there…and don’t be shy with the amount you use
  • Finally, I like to get the mozzarella cheese nicely melted and golden brown.  So, I’ll put mine under the broiler for the last 3 – 4 minutes of cooking; which does the job very nicely.

RECIPE FOR CHICKEN PARMESAN

Ingredients (for 3 servings)

  • 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup basic tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ lb angel hair pasta

Chicken Parmesan:

  • Allow the chicken to come up to room temperature and season on both sides
  • Put a pot of water on the heat for the angle hair pasta
  • Heat a sauté pan, until it’s very hot, and lay the chicken in the pan to sear on one side
  • Sear it for 3 – 5 minutes until golden brown and then sear the other side for about the same time
  • While the chicken sears, bring your tomato sauce up to a light simmer
  • Once seared, top the chicken with the tomato sauce, the parmesan cheese, and then the mozzarella cheese
  • Put the chicken into a 425 degree oven to finish cooking – about 4 – 6 minutes
  • Drop the angel hair pasta into a pot of boiling salted water, and stir
  • After the chicken has been in the oven for 2 – 3 minutes; turn the broiler on for the last 2 – 3 minutes so the cheese will melt and get golden brown
  • Pull the chicken out of the oven once it’s cooked; remove it from the pan
  • Drain the pasta, and toss it into the sauté pan with the chicken removed; and toss to combine with the left over sauce, cheese. 
  • Add some additional olive oil, and a couple tablespoons of parmesan cheese to the pasta and toss
  • Season the pasta with salt and pepper, and serve it up with the chicken parmesan laid on top

Hope you enjoy this recipe for chicken parmesan as much as I do.

Wine Recommendation:  Since we’ve got an Italian dish, I say with stick with wine from Italy.  I’d recommend a very simple Chianti, or Barbera, both of which go really well with tomato sauce, and have the right body and acidity for the chicken parmesan.

Chicken Parmesan

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