The Best Chicken Parm
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 1/3 cup cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 Tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste
- 1/2 - 3/4 tsp tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 28-oz. cans tomato purée
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Chicken
- 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 3 lb. total)
- 5 garlic cloves finely grated
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt plus more
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. onion powder
- 4 cups panko Japanese breadcrumbs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 12 oz. low-moisture mozzarella (Recommended is Polly-o and be sure to shred it yourself!)
- 8 oz. grated Parmesan
- canola oil for frying; 3–4 cups
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
Instructions
Make the Sauce (The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.)
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. (You should lower the temperature if the onions start to brown faster than becoming translucent.)
- Once the onions are soft, add the garlic and sauté for one minute.
- Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until paste is slightly darkened in color (it should start to fry in the oil), about 1 minute.
- Add tomato purée, salt, and sugar, and bring to a simmer. Partially cover pot with a lid (to avoid splattering), reduce heat so sauce is at a very low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 40–50 minutes.
Prep the chicken
- Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Pound the chicken until ⅓” thick. (Break out a ruler!)
- Combine garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a large baking dish. Season chicken cutlets all over with salt (about ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt per cutlet). Add to marinade and turn to coat. Let marinate 20-40 minutes. (The lemon juice will turn the flesh opaque, but that’s nothing to worry about.)
Set up Dredging Station & prep the cheese
- Grate the mozzarella on the large holes of a box grater into a medium bowl; add Parmesan and toss to combine. (do not use pre-shredded cheese. It contains ingredients that keep it from sticking together, but also prevent gooey melting.) Place in refrigerator until ready to use. This can be done one day in advance.
- Whisk eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt, and 2 Tbsp. water in a large shallow bowl (cake pans or pie plates work great).
- Place panko in another large shallow bowl. (if the panko flakes are large, crush them a bit with a meat mallet or bottom of pan). Add flour to a third bowl.
Bread the chicken
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry on paper towel. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, knocking off excess. Then dip into egg wash, letting excess drip back into bowl. Dredge in panko, pressing firmly to adhere, ensuring no bare spots remain. Gently shake off excess and place cutlets on a rimmed baking sheet. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
Fry the Cutlets
- Set a wire rack inside a second large rimmed baking sheet and set aside near your frying station.
- Pour canola oil into a large high-sided heavy pot, such as a dutch oven, to come about 2” up the sides. Heat over medium until an instant-read thermometer registers 400°F. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan and returning oil to 400°F after each batch, very carefully lower cutlets into skillet with tongs and cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. (you will need to adjust the temperature throughout the process. If you see the breadcrumbs burning or getting too dark, the temperature should be lowered.) Transfer cutlets to prepared rack; season with a sprinkle of salt.
Assemble, Broil & Serve
- Heat broiler. Arrange cutlets side by side on a sheet pan. (Do not use parchment paper because they are going under the broiler.) Generously spoon some sauce over each cutlet (you want to mostly cover them but allow some corners and edges to remain uncovered).
- Cover cutlets with cheese mixture (again, leaving some of those crispy edges uncovered). Broil until cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned in spots, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from broiler. Let cool slightly and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve with extra sauce on the side.
Notes
This recipe can take some time, especially if you are not overly experienced making fried chicken cutlets. You can do the following to make it in steps over 2 days, which I highly recommend.
- Make the sauce up to 2 days in advance.
- Shred the cheese 1 day in advance
- Clean and pound the chicken 1 day in advance.