Chicken Parmesan

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Chicken Parm is definitely one of my favorite choices when it comes to Italian fare. A tender chicken cutlet, breaded and pan fried – then slathered in a zesty tomato sauce and melted cheese. How can you not love it? It’s also a relatively quick dinner, that can be pulled together with pantry staples.

I remember my early days; making this dish with pre-breaded chicken breasts and jarred tomato sauce. But, once I made it from scratch, there was just no comparison. No going back. I’ve been known to use a jarred sauce in a pinch, actually have a couple of jars of sauce in the pantry that I need to whittle down. But, after making this super quick marinara a few months ago – I just haven’t been using the store bought stuff. If you’ve not made chicken parm at home before, give it a try. It’s a classic dish that anyone should be proud to have “under their belt”. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs*
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a second shallow dish. Spread the breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.

Pound the chicken to an even thickeness, about 1/2-inch. Pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge through flour, then dip into the egg, and finally coat with the breadcrumbs. Press on the breadcrumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the breaded chicken on a plate.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add two pieces of chicken and cook until light golden brown on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes.

Drain the chicken briefly on paper towels, then transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining breaded chicken.

After cooking, place the breaded chicken over cooling rack placed inside a rimmed baking sheet. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Spoon 1/4 cup marinara over the top of each chicken breast, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of shredded Parmesan. Bake the chicken until the cheese has melted and browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve with pasta and remaining marinara sauce.

* To make the breadcrumbs, tear 4 pieces of sandwich bread into quarters and pulse in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 8 pulses. 

Source: The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Chicken Marsala

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You know those chef competitions that are so popular right now (Top Chef, Master Chef, etc)? At some point or another, they are usually asked to prepare their signature dish. Id’ have to say that chicken marsala would be mine. It’s one of the first recipes that I’d ever tackled back in my newlywed days, it was even the first post I made here on the blog. This was the also the first recipe I’d ever tried from Cook’s Illustrated, which quickly became my go-to recipe source. So many good things I associate with this recipe!

Which is why I figured I’d take a new shot for you guys when I made this last week. I’ve probably made this dinner 100 times, and it still never ceases to “wow” us. It’s perfect for company too – impressive, but much of the prep work can be done beforehand, which is great for dinner parties. When browsing through the ingredients list, the sweet Marsala might throw you a bit. Who wants a sweet wine in their savory sauce, right? But trust me, the sweetness is balanced out with plenty of fresh lemon juice. I’ve tried it with dry Marsala as well, but it’s just not as flavorful – sweet definitely wins out. If you can’t find sweet Marsala, use dry but omit most of the lemon juice. Paired with a pile of fettuccine and a nice green salad, this is truly a perfect meal!

Chicken Marsala

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 cups white or cremini mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. minced shallot
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1  cup Marsala wine (sweet)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 lemon, juiced
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.  Meanwhile, pound the chicken breasts to a 1/2 inch thickness in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pat chicken breasts dry. Place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Working one piece at a time, coat both sides of chicken breasts with flour. Shake to remove excess flour, and set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes.  Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 4 minutes longer.  Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven to keep warm.

Return skillet to low heat and add bacon; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until bacon is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.

Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and shallot and saute for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook until paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.

Add Marsala and chicken stock, and increase heat to high.  Scrape browned bits from pan bottom, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken in the oven; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Return chicken breasts to pan and simmer in sauce for a few minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, May 2000

Chicken Gyros

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I had to do a double check to make sure I hadn’t posted this one yet. This is a dinner that we’ve eaten pretty much every other week for the past 3 years, and still never tire of it! It’s relatively quick and easy dinner too, that doesn’t heat up the whole house.

My husband grew up working in Greek family restaurants, so he’s always loved gyros. I stayed away from them for a long time, due the flat grey meat that is usually lurking inside. Then, my favorite internet Greek resident, Elly, shared her recipe for chicken gyros. It was like a revelation! I made them once years ago, and our whole family has been loving them since.

The chicken is marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. Then grilled, sliced, and piled into a warm pita with plenty of cool, creamy tzatziki and fresh veggies of your choosing. I like lettuce, tomato, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Perfect for an evening dinner outside in the backyard, which we love to enjoy this time of year.

I usually like to serve a Greek (think garlic & oregano!) seasoned oven fry or Greek salad with them, but with the abundance of gorgeous tomatoes in my backyard right now I decided to make a cucumber tomato feta salad. Amazeballs! If you haven’t made this Greek favorite already, just go ahead and do so. I can say with certainty that it will probably go onto heavy menu rotation on your dinner menus!

Chicken Gyros

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt and pepper
1 batch tzatziki sauce
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
sliced cucumbers
lettuce
4 (pocketless) pitas

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and add to Ziploc bag. Add in chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning halfway through.

Preheat the grill (or pan, or broiler).  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then grill over indirect heat until cooked through, about 8 minutes per side, depending  what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Meanwhile, warm your pita bread. I have a gas stove, so I just spray them with a little bit of oil and stick them right on the burner for a few seconds per side. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lettuce.

Souce: slightly adapted from Elly Says Opa!

Chipotle-Lime Chicken Fajitas

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Ahh, these fajitas. We go way back. I first made them during a power outage during a hurricane,as it was a meal I could completely make on the grill. I remember being so blown away by the flavors. Keep in mind that this was 2007, I was just getting my footing in the kitchen – and was finally opening up to trying new things. Like, chipotle or cilantro for instance. Ahh, the ways of youth.

For years now, this has been my go-to recipe for anything Tex-Mex related that involves chicken. The original recipe from Cook’s Illustrated gave two other variations (God love ’em!) that are both awesome in their own right, lemon-parsley and orange-tarragon. I plan to add those to our menu soon to share with you guys, I’d forgotten how good they both were!

But, the chipotle-lime really lends itself nicely to these fajitas. The sauce that you top the chicken with right before serving is killer. Often, fajitas can be bland – but you won’t have that problem here. Take advantage of bell peppers while they’re still affordable (seriously, $3 for a red bell pepper?) and in-season! Piled high on a warm tortilla, it’s one of my favorite weeknight meals.

Chipotle-Lime Chicken  Fajitas

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped (about 1 tbsp)
7 tsp fresh lime juice
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/4 tsp sugar
Kosher salt
black pepper
3 garlic cloves,minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tbsp water
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, sliced into 1/2″ thick strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into 1/2″ thick strips
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2″ thick strips
8 – 8 inch tortillas
Vegetable oil

Whisk together 2 tsp chipotle chile, 4 teaspoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in small bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the remaining chipotle chile, lime juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, remaining teaspoon sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and water in medium bowl. Place marinade and chicken in gallon-size zipper-lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate 30 minutes, flipping bag after 15 minutes.

Heat grill to high, wiping down grill grates with some vegetable oil on a paper towel using tongs. Add chicken and cook over indirect heat, for about 8-10 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Then, place over direct heat for a couple of minutes on each side to char up the chicken breasts.

While the chicken is cooking, saute up the peppers and onions. In a large skillet over high heat, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. When shimmering, add the sliced bell peppers and onions. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the peppers and onions are starting to soften and blister. Remove from heat and set aside.

Transfer chicken to cutting board, let rest, tented with foil, 5 minutes. Slice each breast on bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices and transfer to individual plates. Drizzle with reserved sauce. Serve with warm tortillas and sauteed peppers and onions.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, July 2007