Chef Joe Isidori of Arthur & Sons shares his recipe for family-style Chicken Parmigiana.
Fried Chicken Breasts
Ingredients (Serves 4)
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast, about 2 pounds
1 teaspoon kosher salt, for seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper, for seasoning
2 large eggs
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups Italian bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil, divided
Directions
Preheat to 450ºF.
Thoroughly dry chicken breasts with a paper towel. Working with one at a time, place one of the pieces in between two plastic sheets and flatten by pounding to an even ½-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining pieces.
Generously season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
Put the flour into a shallow bowl. Whisk together eggs and place in a shallow medium bowl. Place Italian bread crumbs in another shallow bowl.
Dip chicken in flour, shaking off any excess coating. Next, dip in egg wash, making sure to coat completely and drain any excess. Lastly, dip in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat evenly. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces.
Heat ½ cup of vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully place two pieces of chicken in the pan and fry until the first side is golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn heat down to medium and flip the chicken. Cook until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to briefly drain the excess oil, and then place on a wire cooling rack set on top of a sheet pan.
Discard the excess oil and wipe the pan clean. Add in ½ cup of fresh vegetable oil, and repeat the same cooking procedure with the 2 remaining pieces.
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 #10 cans La Valle Ground Tomatoes
¼ cup Extra Virgin olive oil
1.5 cups of onions, diced
1 cup of garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of Oregano
2 tablespoons of Granulated garlic
1.5 teaspoons of ground black pepper
2 cups of Mutti tomato paste
Directions
Toast garlic in EVOO until golden.
Add onions and cook until soft. While the onions are cooking down, add salt, pepper, oregano and granulated garlic to release aromatics. Then add the tomato paste and cook until the bright red color turns to a lighter rust color.
Add the ground tomatoes and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 3 hours.
Building the Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients
4 pc fried chicken breasts
8 oz tomato sauce, divided (for baking process)
8 slices low-moisture mozzarella cheese
16 pc ½” cubes fresh mozzarella cheese
12 oz tomato sauce (held warm)
Shaved Parmesan Reggiano cheese
Chopped parsley
Directions
Line a 13”x9” baking pan with 4oz of tomato sauce and top with fried chicken.
Equally distribute an additional 4oz of tomato sauce over chicken and top with sliced low-moisture mozzarella followed by fresh mozzarella cubes.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 400˚F until cheese is melted and chicken has an internal temperature of 165˚F.
Convert baking temperature to broil to lightly brown the cheese.
Remove chicken from the oven and add remaining 12oz of warmed tomato sauce. Generously shave parmesan over the dish and finish with parsley.
Portion and enjoy!