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Chicken Parmesan. It just ‘screams’ comfort food, doesn’t it? The breaded chicken, heavy marinara, pasta on the side which is obviously loaded with more parmesan cheese…all perfect for a snowy winter night. The end of January is a transition point for me. Yes, it is still chilly and snowy out, but the endless amount of eating from the holidays and comfort foods from the past few months seem to add up. Suddenly visions of snowmen and uggs switch to sand, shells, and swaying palm trees that seem to be calling my name. February and March…time to get to Florida for some much needed warmth and humidity. Along with that goes the shorts, dresses, swim suits….yikes! It was time to lighten up some of the classics that are still completely necessary to get through these remaining snowy months, but won’t hurt the waist line for sun bathing by the ocean. Ahhh…
A great place to start is with this recipe. You still get the comfort of the breaded chicken parmesan, but instead of a heavy marinara, pasta, and more cheese to go along with it you build a fresh salad on top. Not only is this better for you, but the dressing on the salad sitting on the warm chicken really kicks up the flavor. I promise, you won’t miss the pasta.
Another great quality of this recipe is that it is completely versatile. Easy to make on a week night for 2, or for company of 8 on the weekend. If you choose to make this for a crowd, have your oven at 200 degrees to keep the chicken warm while making additional servings. The ingredients are simple to work with, just buy the quantity that you need.
Recipe Adapted from Ina Garten
Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts, butterflied open and pounded to 1/4 inch thick. (Bonus if you have any aggression to get out…?)
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water
- 1 cup fresh Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
- Good olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Mixed greens
- Lemon, zest and juice
- Tomatoes, the freshest you can find. In the winter I tend to turn to grape tomatoes
Directions:
Make a little assembly line next to your stove. Have the chicken pounded out and ready to go. On one plate, combine the flour with the salt and pepper. Next have the eggs and water ready. Lastly, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan. Roll the chicken in the flour, dip in the eggs, and cover with the bread crumb/parmesan mixture. Repeat for each piece of chicken you are serving.
To cook the chicken, warm 1 TBS good olive oil and 1 TBS unsalted butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes per side. If you are making additional pieces of chicken, you will need to add additional olive oil and butter as you go along.
To build the salad, begin with the dressing. Whisk together 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 cup of good olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with the greens.
Plate your chicken, place some salad on top, top with sliced tomatoes and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.
Come on spring!
Courtney
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[...] enjoyed chicken parm many ways around A Life From Scratch. We’ve had it lightened up here and ooey gooey heavy here. Both of which were delicious. (Although let’s be honest, the ooey [...]
So here I go to make this for a second time – thought you would enjoy the process – get everything lined up – no bread crumbs – I’m flexible, happened to have a box of corn flakes, kids won’t mind. Pounding the chicken – hit the (glass) cutting board and it shatters into a million pieces, also down one chicken breast. Go to make the dressing – have run out of olive oil. Still a good meal for the family tonight despite the setbacks!
Oh no Jenny!!! A bit too much aggression I guess…but hey, the point is you are making dinner for your kids, at all costs. Way to go!!
Just made this tonight, so delicious, light and fast to make. Thanks so much
Glad it came together for you quickly and you enjoyed
You’re the graetest! JMHO
So glad you enjoyed – I loved the lemon dressing on top of the warm chicken! Let me know how the soup turns out – hope no one is sick!
Made this for dinner tonight. YUMMY! Your blog has come along at the perfect time – when I am in need of some inspiration. I am going to try the chicken noodle soup next. Can’t wait to see what ideas this week brings.
thanks
Kudos! What a neat way of tinhknig about it.