Mr. CBB’s Crispy Chicken Parmigiana On Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Chicken Parmigiana is one our easy go to recipes when we want something tasty and warming to the soul. It’s also not a budget breaker either but we always keep our eyes open for great deals on chicken breasts in our local supermarkets.
Although we like to splurge once a week In 2013 we decided we are keeping our kitchen busy with healthy recipes and lots of vegetables. This baked chicken recipe is simple to put together and takes about 25-30 minutes in the oven. You do have to lightly fast fry the breaded chicken breasts in a bit of extra virgin olive oil for this recipe as I prefer super crispy chicken. Once you lay the fried chicken on top of the sauce it will hold up better if it is golden brown and crispy. This is a fairly healthy baked chicken parmigiana recipe but you can simply bake the chicken in the oven until it is crispy to make this dish even healthier.
I used 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this chicken parm recipe but needed to flatten them out. What I did was take out some wax paper or you can use cling wrap and wrap the chicken up raw. Then with a rubber kitchen mallet, wine bottle, rolling-pin whatever you have whack the chicken breasts until they are thinned out. For this recipe you want them to be thin so they fry up fast and they are crispy; same goes if you bake them in the oven.
Once you have the chicken breasts flattened, put them through the three-step process of flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Make sure you season all three dishes before coating as you will need the flavour. I use breadcrumbs that are already seasoned with Romano cheese and parsley but I also add my pepper, basil, oregano and paprika to the crumbs and mix. I also add salt and pepper to the eggs and flour. Alternatively, you can make your own breadcrumbs with day old bread and seasoning’s to save even more money. Some people also like to use panko bread crumbs which is another option.
Once the chicken is coated I heat up 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or you can use coconut oil if you have it and flash fry the chicken breasts on high heat so they are golden brown. Sit them on top of paper towel to drain on a flat dish while you caramelize the onions and sauté the mushrooms. Chicken dishes for dinner are a great alternative to pork, beef as well as fish. I like to balance my protein intake during the week as well as have meatless meals.
Make the Pasta Sauce
The pasta sauce I used for this easy chicken recipe was the same one I used for the pasta and meatballs. You can find the recipe for the pasta sauce here minus the meatballs of course. I make a big batch of this and freeze it so it’s ready when we need it. Once your onions and mushrooms are done layer the bottom of a casserole dish with the pasta sauce, top with the mushrooms and onions, then sit the crispy chicken breasts on top and press down so they are embedded in the sauce and mushrooms. Top with freshly grated mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese. Put this chicken dish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the cheese and sauce is hot and bubbly. Let it sit for a couple of minutes when you take it from the oven.
Make The Garlic Mash
While the chicken is in the oven make your garlic mashed potatoes which is simply boil your diced potatoes in salted water, drain, add in some butter, milk and finely mashed garlic and whip. We like our mashed potatoes smooth and sometimes we even chop the head off of the garlic, sprinkle with salt and olive oil, put it in tin foil and bake it in the oven so we have roasted garlic for our mashed potatoes instead. If you don’t like mashed potatoes you can simply serve this with rice, couscous, pasta, or on its own.
When the chicken is baked, put a nice helping of garlic mash on a plate and sit a chicken breast on top, garnish with parsley and a little more Parmigiano if you like. It’s ooey, gooey good and don’t forget to serve with heaping bowl of garden salad! Enjoy.
How To Make Chicken Parmigiana
- Feeds: 3
- Time: Prep 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees
Ingredients:
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt
- pepper
- 1 1/2- 2 cups grated mozzarella
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano cheese
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of pasta sauce
- 2 cups of sliced onions
- 2 cups of mushroom slices
Preparation
- If you haven’t made your pasta sauce yet now is the time to make your sauce. You can find the recipe link above.
- Take your wax paper and put your chicken breast inside, fold and whack it with your kitchen mallet until it is thin. Do this for all 3 breasts and set them on a plate
- Go to your coating station where you will have 3 bowls; one with the flour, one with the beaten egg with salt and pepper and the other with the seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Coat your piece of chicken in the flour, shake then dunk it in the egg mixture, then over to the coating. Make sure to coat the chicken well so it gets nice and crispy.
- In a skillet heat up your extra virgin olive oil on med-high heat and fast fry the chicken breasts. They will fry until they are just about done as they will finish in the oven. When golden brown set on a dish lined with paper towel to drain.
- In the same skillet toss in your onions and caramelize them until they brown and then toss in the mushrooms.
- In the bottom of your casserole dish add a layer of pasta sauce, then add the mushrooms and onions layer, then your 3 chicken breasts.
- Push the chicken gently into the mixture below, top with mozzarella and Parmigiano and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. You want to give that chicken a chance to finish cooking and the sauces to heat and cheese to melt.
- Once finished lay your chicken breast and the lovely sauce on top of garlic mashed potatoes, top with fresh parsley and more Parmigiano cheese and enjoy.
