Parmagina Chicken

Since my son loves Italian food, for this 26th celebration, I had an Italian theme.

One of them is Chicken Parmiginana which is my first attempt.  It is really easy to put together and I am pleased that I got good feedback from my sister-in-law who is a very good cook. 

Learning: This dish is very easy to put together.  I prepared the sauce the day ahead as well as the marination of the chicken.  

The coating and frying only take a few mins and can be done early and set aside till you are ready to put it into the oven to finish up.

Overall, the chicken came out flavourful and juicy.  Next round, I should brown the cheese top a little more with a blow torch

Adapted Here and here

What you need:

Sauce:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can crushed tomatoes

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp fresh basil

Method:

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add chopped onion and saute until soft (5 minutes), then stir in garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Break the crushed tomatoes further.

Simmer partially covered for 15 minutes.

Stir in chopped fresh basil and remove from heat.

Chicken:

3 large eggs

1½ tsp garlic, minced 

3 tbsp parsley, chopped (I omitted)

Salt and pepper to season

4.5 large chicken breasts halved horizontally to make 6 fillets

1½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup breadcrumbs (with added Italian herbs)

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1½ tsp garlic or onion powder

¼ cup olive oil for frying

Method:

The Chicken:

Slice the chicken thigh into half.

Whisk eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. 

Add chicken into the egg, rotating to evenly coat each fillet in the mixture. Cover and marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 220°C. Lightly grease a baking dish with cooking oil.  Set aside.

When chicken is ready for cooking, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder together in a separate shallow bowl. 

Dip chicken into the breadcrumb mixture to evenly coat.

Just before cooking in a pan, do another round with the remaining crumbs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Fry chicken until golden and crispy, (about 3 mins each side).

Place chicken on the baking dish and top each breast with sauce. 

Top each chicken breast with 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese and about 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese. 

Sprinkle with basil or parsley. (I forgot to)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and melted, and the chicken is completely cooked through.

Enjoy!