Chicken Parm

Chicken parm was a pretty tough one for me to really get crazy creative with seeing as how if you change it too much then you don't really have chicken parm anymore.  I through in a couple changes that I thought were a little different but would keep the best parts of CP.

As always you aren't really going to get a typical/formal recipe from this guy

The Chicken
What I did here was started with a couple of boneless skinless breasts and sliced them so that I got about 3 thin cutlets from each breast.  I took the cutlets and pounded them out a little be to keep them from drying out and getting tough.  As far as the breading is concerned this is where I got a little creative.  I took plain bread crumbs about 1-2 cups and seasoned it with a little pepper, you can use any other seasonings you'd like though.  To the BC I added about 3/4-1 cup of finely grated romano cheese and mixed it to combine everything pretty evenly.
To coat the chicken I used the typical dry, wet, dry method, meaning you cover the chicken first in the breadcrumb mixture, then into an egg wash (a couple beaten eggs with a little milk or water added), back into the breadcrumbs.  That's it, that will give the chicken a nice tasty breading that won't be too thick.  Put the chicken on a wire rack over a cookie sheet and back in the oven at 350 for about 15-20minutes or until they are starting to brown around the edges.  Cooking time may vary a little depending on how thick the chicken is.  Just before taking out put a slice or two of fresh mozzarella on top and let it melt a bit over the top, and can try grating it too to get a little different result.

The Sauce
I really don't like to get too fancy with marinara or tomato sauce.  All I did for this one was used about a can and a half (large cans) of crushed tomatoes, threw in a handful of fresh grape tomatoes (cut into quarters), along with some seasonings (basil, oregano, salt, pepper).  Let it cook for a little while and you're all set to go, pretty easy.

The Pasta
Boil your favorite type of pasta, to your desired doneness and hold to the side until everything else is done.

The Build
What I did for this one (as pictured below) was took the pasta and added sauce to it until I got a good ratio of pasta to sauce, I don't think pasta dripping and sauce but I also don't like pasta that has so little sauce that it may as well just be plain pasta.  I plated some of the pasta set one of the chicken cutlets on top and then topped that with a little extra sauce.  That's all folk!

The Bonus
Also pictured was a side salad that I had made to go with the chicken which was really pretty simple and basic but also delicious.  I had some left over roasted beets so I sliced up some of those and put them over some mixed greens.  I added to that some granted carrot, a few sliced calamata olives, and goat cheese crumbles, and topped with just a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, balsamic, and a mix of seasonings.

That's it, hope you guys enjoy it if you try it out.  I'll be back soon with another one.

-MS