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Chicken Parmesan

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Emily

I absolutely love the difference between foods in the north and south. When I visit my father, I’m able to dive into a breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy, something that I have found the northerners just can’t make as well. In Michigan, I can go down the road for killer Chinese food, a place that I will really miss when I’m in college. Being down in Texas for college orientation has turned me into a huge seafood lover, something I completely avoided while up north. Cajun food down south is brilliant, and addicting- I find myself craving court-bouillon from time to time. And of course, Mexican food is made right.

Of course, I’ll miss the Coney Islands abundantly scattered across Michigan, and the really good little Italian restaurants. One thing I was told while down in Texas was that Italian food is nothing like it is up in Michigan. There just aren’t very many little places that cook authentic Italian, which means I’ll probably end up getting it somewhere that also serves tacos. (I mean, come on, even the Dairy Queens have the option of ordering a taco.)

After orientation at college, I had a few days left to spare with my Dad, Aunt, and Uncle. I wanted to cook dinner for them at least once, especially for my Dad, who lives off of frozen dinners. We ended up having to buy close to everything ingredient wise, since neither my father nor my Aunt really cook. My Aunt even resorted to stealing a sugar packet off of a restaurant table.

This recipe is one of my favorites for chicken parmesan. I don’t know if it’s the mounds of mozzarella cheese or the kalamata olives that add a spicy kick to the sauce and chicken that I enjoy more. It helps to prepare everything ahead of time before throwing it into a hot saute pan, because time does get away from you easily with this recipe. I forgot about that, and ended up sputtering around the kitchen trying to put things together. Although it took me a bit longer than usual, they were kind enough to let me take a few shots in the dining room. I walked back into the kitchen/living room space to put my camera away, and when we returned with plated food, I found my plate- the one I had previously photographed- chickenless. Turns out my Aunt’s dog decided he wanted a try and was tearing apart the piece of chicken half his size. At least I know the dog really enjoyed it!

Chicken Parmesan
From Tyler Florence of Tyler’s Ultimate on Food Network

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
Pinch sugar
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried plain bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil, reserve the rest of the basil for finishing the chicken. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, add the 1 cup parmesan, chopped parsley, and garlic powder Season with salt and pepper and stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and arrange the mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and remaining basil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Beautiful ocean, one of many places to walk to from campus!

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Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Emily

These were never suppose to be mini. Due to a miscommunication with my mother, I was under the impression that we had chicken breasts in the fridge. When I came home, however, they were tiny little chicken tenderloins.

Rewinding to earlier that day, my mother called asking that I make dinner. Her only requirement was that I try to use up the chicken and prosciutto in the refrigerator. So I drove home from school, plopped myself down on the couch, and attempted to think up a way on how to combine the two. While thinking of ideas I turned on my television, and as if it was some sort of sign, Tyler Florence of Tyler’s Ultimate came on making chicken cordon bleu, using prosciutto instead of ham. Slightly spooked out, but nevertheless happy, I went out to get gruyere cheese.

When I came home and pulled out the chicken, I realized that these were just tenderloins. The idea of going out again and spending more money on chicken when I already had some baffled me, so I decided to get creative. I pounded these guys out until they were flat as pancakes, until they were wide and long enough to have a slice of prosciutto lay folded on top. Rolling them up was extremely difficult, as they were so tiny, and I was trying to get as much cheese as I could inside without it all spilling over. While putting them in the oven I was sure they’d turn out to be a complete disaster, so I was shocked to see eight little, good looking cordon bleus come out. Some of the cheese leaked out a tad, but other than that, they had a crispy outer and juicy middle.

If possible, I highly suggest using gruyere cheese. It really makes a wonderful difference. The nutty, rich taste of the gruyere compliments the salty prosciutto, making you never want to eat boxed cordon bleu from your supermarket ever again. Although, I definitely recommend using actual chicken breasts instead of tenderloins. Even though accomplishing tiny chicken roulades made me feel as if acing that psychology test would be a walk in the park, it’s really not worth the hassle.

These are great leftover, too. After dinner we had one left, so the next day I fried it up in a little bit of butter. Where as sometimes breading will become soggy the next day, it didn’t happen with these. Its outer crust became a golden brown, the cheese bubbled on the inside- completely resurrected from it’s refrigerated state.

However, never again will I take pictures in the dark under the dim light of a ceiling lamp older than me. I’m not very happy with how the pictures turned out, yet I can’t really complain, since I’m not totally sure on how to use every setting on my camera. I’ve been debating on whether or not to make myself a light box, but with my limited knowledge at the moment, I’m not sure if it would come in handy.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Adapted from Tyler Florence on Tyler’s Ultimate

4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
1/2 pound Gruyere, grated
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through.

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