Chicken Parmigiana

Do you have kids? Some of you do, some don't. Well, for all you parents out there, you ever have those days that just kick your butt? I mean the ones when nothing is going right. The kids won't stop fighting, they won't listen to a darn thing you say, they keep talking back and you feel like every time you open your mouth you are shouting at them. Ugh. That was my day yesterday. So over it. Luckily it doesn't happen too often, but let me tell you, when it does happen it is in full force. What does this have to do with my blog? Everything. This is what set the tone for my cooking experience yesterday. Definitely not ideal and not how I like to cook.

This is how it went down. Chop onions. "Brooklyn, get down from there!" Chop garlic. "Emily, Hudson, stop fighting!" Sauté onions and garlic. "If you two don't stop fighting, you're both going to your rooms!" Hand squish tomatoes and add them to the pot. "Brooky, get away from the stove, it's HOT! Brooky, where is your shirt? Hudson, knock it off!" Um, yeah, you get the picture. So enjoyable. So much so, that I forgot to add a whole FOUR ingredients to my sauce. Yeah, once I realized that, it was the icing on the cake.

I made Chicken Parmigiana by Tyler Florence. It has been cloudy and drizzly lately so I wanted a nice, hot, comforting meal and this looked like the perfect way to go. It took about and hour and a half to make (which seemed like three hours because of what I described in the previous two paragraphs) and was really good. I've made Chicken Parmesan my own way many times and this one, obviously, was a lot better. What I liked the best about it was how the chicken was breaded, the fresh basil in the dish and the mozzarella on top. The mozzarella really is the way to go, if you ask me. Now, the sauce I wasn't crazy about. I liked it, but considering I left out the last four ingredients, I suppose I can't really have an opinion. To use a short cut which would knock off a lot of time, use your favorite jarred sauce or make your own tried and true sauce recipe. This was a good, solid dinner that filled our tummies and we even had left overs for Jason to take to work. Then I took a well deserved "time out" and sent myself to my room to do my homework. The end.

Chicken Parmigiana

serves 4

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (I left these out)

1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed

Pinch sugar

Pinch red pepper flakes

(I doubled the sauce recipe, because I don’t like to skimp on the sauce)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

1 cup dried plain bread crumbs

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a sauté pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil, reserve the rest of the basil for finishing the chicken. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, add the 1 cup parmesan, chopped parsley, and garlic powder.  Season with salt and pepper and stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and arrange the mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and remaining basil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.