Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella |
- chicken breast cutlets
- Salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- mozzarella cheese
The first step to better breading is using better bread. I tried using canned breadcrumbs, panko-style breadcrumbs, and crumbs made from a loaf of fresh high quality Italian bread, and crumbs made from bread that I first dehydrated in the oven partially.
trip to the bread crumbs
Add a bit of buttermilk
Add just a touch of flour and buttermilk to the egg wash, adding more flavor and creating a thicker, more substantial layer for the crumbs to stick to.
Frying process, the goal is to get an even golden-brown crust on both surfaces. The absolute best way to do this it to actually deep-fry the chicken so that it’s cooking from all sides quickly and simultaneously. It’s not a particularly practical method at home, however, so we’ll stick with the more traditional shallow-frying in a skillet.
The most important part of frying the chicken is to make sure your oil is at the right temperature.
Tasty With American Red Sauce
Cut mozzarella into cubes as opposed to grating it gives it superior melting properties
Lay down a thick layer of sauce and then topped it with the chicken.
Followed by more sauce and a thick spread of cheese over the top
After baking it in a 425°F oven until the cheese meltedcutting the cheese into cubes as opposed to grating it gives it superior melting properties, creating nice cheesy, gooey pockets. Tossing the mozzarella with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano also adds flavor without detracting from its melt-ability.
