Parmesan Crusted Chicken

If you’re looking for a new and crowd pleasing chicken dinner then I’ve got you covered today.

The key to this parmesan crusted chicken is two fold. First, don’t overcook the chicken. We use a Habor thermometer that is very similar to this one linked here.

Second, the chicken breasts should be thin. Is that really necessary? Well, no. This recipe will work with normal size chicken breasts, but then you won’t get that perfect ratio of tender chicken to crispy coating. So if you want what you see here then you will need a tenderizer or kitchen mallet to pound the chicken breasts. We have the Oxo tenderizer. I know, it’s just another thing to throw in the kitchen drawer, but trust me when I say that the purchase is worth the money. My husband and I have previously tried using other kitchen tools and it was an epic fail. In fact, we literally broke stuff trying to flatten chicken with the wrong things. That’s obviously no good because now you have to buy replacements AND then also buy a tenderizer.

You can enjoy this chicken in so many different ways. Today I kept it light and ate it with arugula and parmesan cheese, with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. My husband and I also ate this chicken with pasta and marinara. Delish. Or you can do as my husband did and simply stick a fork in it and eat the leftover straight from the fridge. To each is own. The leftover chicken won’t yield the same crunchy crust as when it’s straight from the pan, but that doesn’t bother me because it’s still super tasty (and I don’t have to cook again and everything always tastes better when you don’t have to cook).

To summarize, here are the things that I’ve learned making this tasty chicken. It’s so delicious and meat tenderizers are important. The end.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe
(Makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

about 1 and 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
salt
pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
about 1/4 cup olive oil (divided per the directions)

Directions:

If the chicken breast is thick then cut it in half, thickness-wise. (Usually called “butterflying” the meat.)
Cover a piece of chicken with plastic wrap or place it in a plastic bag and pound it to about 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat this for each piece of chicken. Use a meat mallet. Trust me, it’s the only kitchen utensil that will do the job, don’t mangle your metal ladle. We have the Oxo tenderizer for this purpose now.
Sprinkle the top and bottom of each piece of chicken with salt and pepper and set them aside.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the all purpose flour, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
In a 2nd shallow dish, beat the eggs.
In a 3rd shallow dish, whisk together the panko bread crumbs and grated cheese.
Take a piece of chicken and press it into the flour mixture.
Then dip it into the egg bowl, making sure to coat everything evenly on both sides.
Then dip it into the panko bowl, pressing the crumbs evenly on both sides.
Repeat steps 7 – 9 for each piece of chicken.
In a large skillet, over Medium heat, heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, as needed between batches.
Place each crumb coated chicken in the hot oil and cook it for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. You can do multiple pieces at once for this if your pan is large enough. Keep it to one layer and don’t crowd them.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
Repeat steps 11 – 13 for each batch of chicken pieces.