Our test kitchen chefs deconstruct a classic.
CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH SPAGHETTI
ACTIVE: 50 min lTOTAL: 1 hr lSERVES: 4
FOR THE SAUCE
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 28-ounce cans whole peeled
San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
FOR THE CHICKEN
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 cups breadcrumbs
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 thin chicken cutlets (4 to 5 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
8 1-ounce slices low-moisture
whole-milk mozzarella cheese
(packaged or deli-sliced)
Grated parmesan cheese, for topping
Chopped fresh basil, for topping
FOR THE PASTA
Kosher salt
12 ounces spaghetti
1.Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot
over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook,
stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt
and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then
reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring
occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat
and puree with an immersion blender, or puree in a
regular blender in small batches and return to the
pot. You should have about 4 cups sauce.
- Meanwhile, make the chicken: Preheat the oven
to 450 ̊. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk
the eggs in a separate shallow dish. Combine the
breadcrumbs, parsley and oregano in a third dish.
Lay the chicken on a piece of plastic wrap and cover
with another piece of plastic. Pound the chicken on
both sides with the flat side of a meat mallet or a
skillet until ¼ inch thick. Season the chicken with salt
and pepper on both sides. Working with 1 piece at
a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off
any excess, then dip in the eggs, letting the excess
drip off, and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture,
pressing to adhere on both sides. Transfer to a plate. - Set a wire rack on a baking sheet. Heat about
½ inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
Carefully add 2 pieces of chicken and cook, gently
moving them around in the pan with tongs, until
golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Adjust
the heat as needed if the chicken is browning
too quickly.) Remove the chicken to the rack
to drain. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Repeat with
the remaining chicken. - Transfer the chicken to a clean baking sheet
and top each piece with ½ cup tomato sauce
and 2 slices mozzarella. Bake until the cheese
is melted, bubbling and browned in spots,
10 to 12 minutes. - Meanwhile, make the pasta: Bring a large
pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti
and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup
cooking water, then drain. Warm the remaining
tomato sauce (about 2 cups) over low heat.
Add the spaghetti and ½ cup reserved cooking
water; toss, adding more cooking water as needed.
Season with salt and pepper. - Top the chicken with parmesan and basil.
Serve with the spaghetti.
To amp up the flavor,
use fresh and dried herbs
rather than preseasoned
breadcrumbs. After frying the
chicken, let it drain on a rack,
then sprinkle with salt
while it’s still hot so the
salt will stick.Give your dish a classic
look by draping the chicken
with sliced mozzarella. Use
low-moisture slices so you
don’t make the chicken soggy.
(Avoid fresh mozzarella;
it will release too
Parm much water.)An
atomy of a
er e t
34 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ●MARCH 2020
fun
cookingPHOTO: RALPH SMITH; FOOD STYLING: CYD RAFTUS MCDOWELL; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINA LANE.~ .....
.. ··
/ Cheese- •
- •
...
- •
•
- •
- •
- •
- •
- •
- •
- •
.. •
-.. • - ·.. •
·. ••• ••• .··
··.. ••••••••• ..··
•• ••••••••••••• •- • •• •• • ••
/ Breading ·· .. - :. •
. ~ - •
- •
- •
.
- •
- •
- •
- •
.. • - •
·. . :
-. .. • - • • • •
- • • ••
••• ••
••••••••••••••