Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Want to guess where I got this recipe?
(No, that's too easy, probably.)
That's because about 68.987% of my recipes come from the same place...Cook's Illustrated. I've waxed rhapsodic about them many times before, so I'll spare you. I'll just say that their recipes are, well, marvy-fab. 😉 Well worth the price of admission.
Ok. This recipe is basically just very thin chicken breast pieces coated with Parmesan cheese. They're then cooked in a skillet until the cheese has turned into a crispy crust. Simple, but tasty.
You can't make these with the sort of Parmesan that comes in a round cannister, mind you. You'll need to buy an actual triangle of Parmesan cheese.
Cook's recommends using fancy-schmancy Parmesan, but I've never done that. I just use the $5 or so blocks that can be had at supermarkets, and this last time, I used a block from Aldi (I love it when they carry those!)
I'm sure Parmigiano Reggiano would make this even more delicious, but I am The Frugal Girl, after all, and since I'm totally happy eating $5 Parmesan, I've never splurged for the really good stuff.
To get started, you'll need to make three mixtures for dredging the chicken breasts. The first one is flour and grated Parmesan.
The second is mostly beaten egg whites.
And the third is shredded Parmesan with a tablespoon of flour. This is why you can't buy the grated stuff...you need heftier shreds of cheese.
Of course, you'll need some chicken breasts too. Slice them in half horizontally to make cutlets, and then pound them with a meat mallet until they're quite thin.
If you don't have a meat mallet, you can probably improvise with something else in your kitchen. In the early days of our marriage, I sometimes covered the end of the tool hammer with plastic wrap and used it. It's not ideal, but it did the trick. 😉
Salt and pepper the chicken to taste.
Next, you'll need to coat the chicken with all three of those mixtures you made at the beginning of the recipe. Working with one piece at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off the excess.
Dip the chicken in the egg whites, letting the excess drip off, and then dredge in the shredded Parmesan, patting the cheese to help it adhere.
Place the coated chicken on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet, and repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
Heat a nonstick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium heat with a few teaspoons of the oil of your choosing. I wouldn't recommend trying this in a stainless steel pan because melted Parmesan is really, really sticky.
Trust me, I've tried and lived to regret it.
Cook the chicken for about three minutes, or until the cheese on the bottom side is browned. Carefully loosen the chicken from the bottom of the pan, flip it over, and cook for about another three minutes, or until the underside is browned and the chicken is cooked through.
If you're using a cast-iron pan instead of a nonstick pan, you may need to add more oil when you flip the chicken. Err on the side of more oil the first time you make this and you can adjust as necessary in the future.
Also, depending on how big your pan is, you may not be able to cook all the pieces at once. Don't overcrowd the pan, as that can make it tricky to flip the chicken pieces. If you're worried about your first batch getting cold, you can keep it warm in a low oven (around 200 ° F).
You know what would be lovely on a plate with this chicken? The sauteed green beans I showed you last week (also from, you guessed it, the people at Cook's Illustrated.)
You can click on the picture to be taken straight to the recipe.
A crusty loaf of homemade French bread goes along pretty nicely too.
Aaaand here's the recipe for the chicken.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Print this! (1-page PDF version)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, breasts trimmed of excess fat and halved horizontally
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
½ ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ¼ cup)
3 large egg whites
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (optional)
6 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)
Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally (you can partially freeze them to make this easier) and then pound them until they're ¼" thick. Salt and pepper to taste.
In a pie plate, combine ¼ cup flour and grated Parmesan.
In a bowl or pie plate, whisk egg whites and add chives if using.
In a third pie plate, combine 2 cups shredded Parmesan and remaining tablespoon of flour.
Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture; shake off excess. Dip in egg white mixture, let excess drip off. Dredge in shredded Parmesan mixture, then place on a wire rack placed atop a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat two teaspoons of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken (you may need to cook it in two separate batches) and cook for about three minutes, or until the cheese on the underside is golden brown. Carefully flip chicken and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil.
Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
We buy the real deal parmagianno regianno from Costco, where you can get a large block for $20. Then we cut it into smaller blocks, wrap them in paper towels, then freeze in ziploc bags. I think it makes a big difference. Plus, the block of cheese lasts longer than the shreds, so there's less waste. Plus you can keep the parm rinds and add them to beans, soups, etc. By using quality parm, you can make really good cacio e pepe, and that is a very frugal meal.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cheese-and-Pepper-Pasta-Cacio-e-Pepe
A standard substitute for a meat pounder is a heavy skillet. Put the chix between two largish pieces of saran wrap or in a large plastic bag, carefully pound the chix with the skillet. Best if you use a pound-then-drag motion; you can find video of this on YouTube. It's easy to do but hard to explain in words.
Hi Kristen - I love reading your blog and trying out your great recipes! The pictures and clear directions and tips inspire me to try making things I would normally shy away from. You've probably been asked this before, but I couldn't find a post about it. From previous pictures, it looks like you have a ceramic top stove ... yet you also use cast iron pans. I've been told this shouldn't be done (I also have a glass top stove), so I was curious if you did anything special to use these pans on the stove or if you are just very careful so you don't scratch and/or crack the stove top. Thanks!
I'm just careful...I lift them instead of sliding them, and I set them down gently on the stove.
I use cast iron on my ceramic/glass cooktop too. Like Kristen said, just be careful. You can really mess up up your cooktop with stainless as well, if you drop or slide it along the surface.
This looks delicious and I'm going to make it soon! Thanks for the recipe.
Although I know from previous posts you don't have large appetites, I'm dying to know if this is a child's plate of food in the photo? I'm assuming it's a main meal of the day, so perhaps a good size for Zoe or Sonia, but I wouldn't have thought it contained sufficient calories for the rest of you. Presumably some of you need a whole orange (1 portion of fruit/veg) and at least 2 pieces of chicken and bread?
I was thinking this plate was made for a photo rather than for absolute eating (if it was for adults). But it could indeed be a child-sized portion. Or...for adults...once this is eaten more can be taken from the kitchen?
I thought the same thing tho Carmen 🙂
Reese is right...I put this plate together for a photo! 😉 It's about what one of my kids would eat, though they'd probably have another slice of bread and some more oranges.
Phew, thanks Kristen. I often think the portions look small and since it really hit me this time, I thought I'd ask. I know you all look healthy though!
Yum! I love the flavor of baked/cooked fresh Parmesan. Whole Foods makes these amazing Parmesan crisps, but they are EXPENSIVE. So, I found the recipe for them and HIGHLY recommend them. They are amazing on salads, or just for snacking 🙂
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/81
Wow, that looks good. Real Simple ran a recipe a few years ago for cheddar chicken, which was like a down market version of this. Butter, cheddar and crushed Ritz crackers on chicken. Not healthy. But oh so tasty... Melted cheese on anything is good!
To reduce the nutrional hit of the Real Simple recipe, try using panko (Japanese bread crumbs) instead of the crushed Ritz crackers. Panko are flaky and crispy beyond belief.
Ahh, just took my chicken breasts out of the freezer (1/2 price sale in the "used meat" bin) and will grab parm on the way home. Force self to buy whole cheese -- gulp. These look wonderful -- thanks for solving the dinner dilemma. Must. Cook. Dinner.
And no reducing fillets to vaguely chicken-like sludge with over-zealous malleting of same. Not that I would ever do that 😉 Thanks for this timely post!
Thanks for the recipe, this looks amazing! I've been on the look-out for more dinner guest recipes, and this looks like it could fit the bill.
This is my favorite CI meal, and I ask for it any time my husband wants to make a "special occasion" meal (birthdays, Valentine's day, Wednesday). It's really great with a simple salad made with a mustard-y vinaigrette. YUM!
looks delish - don't think I've ever bought a block of cheese though!
Yum!!! I know what is for dinner now...
Mmmmm...sounds yummy! I'll have to put this on the list of recipes to try. 🙂 Thanks!
Funny that Cook's recommended the real Parmigiano Reggiano. As a former cheese counter employee, I can say that in some instances it is worth a splurge. When tasted alone, it really is so different from the cheap grocery store stuff. However, I'm not sure I would use it in this recipe since you are cooking the cheese. I usually reserve it for a fancy salad or a garnish for a simple summer pasta. In both cases, I like to peel it with a vegetable peeler and get those beautiful paper-thin curls. One tip for buying real parm... make sure you get a piece with the least amount of rind. If you are paying $17 per lb, you want to make sure that you are getting mostly cheese that can be eaten! Yes, the rinds are great in soups and pasta sauce, but they are certainly not worth $17 per lb.
Mmmmm! That looks so good! I don't eat meat, but I think I'm going to try this recipe with a veggie substitute like seitan.
Oh! Yummy, this is just what I'm in the mood for. Your bread looks amazing too.
Sounds fantastic. Can't wait to try it. Thanks.
Going to try the Parmesan Crusted Chicken soon. It looks delicious and just the thing my family would like. Also, I appreciate that you have included a printer friendly version. However, next time could you leave out the picture? While it makes the presentation of the recipe very nice, I don't want to use my expensive color ink to print it. Thanks.
Why don't you just adjust your settings to print in fast draft and black and white?
I've made this before, but instead of using fresh shredded parm, I used grated parm and put it into the flour mixture. I didn't have nearly as much of an issue with the chicken sticking to my cast iron skillet. Sometimes I even put some lemon zest in the mixture, too. It adds a nice zip.
Yum, definitely will be making this along with the green beans! Thanks Kristen.
I've made this twice and we all LOVED IT!
I'd like to figure out how to make it grain free- with out the flour... I'm wondering if the cheese still holds up. I'll have to try it next time! We also really enjoy the green beans. Well, my kids not so much but I do!
Wow! I think I am going to try this instead of the standard bread crumb coating. For my chicken parmigiana. Just top it with sauce & mozzarella & stick it under the broiler. I bet it would be great. 2 different meals with one recipe yay! Thanks for the recipe!
This is an old post but I discovered this month- after buying up and freezing loads of chicken tenderloins right after Thanksgiving- that there is less waste baking the tenderloins then using them in my recipes. The tendon which is so tough in a skillet and hard to remove without losing a quarter of the meat disappears in 25 minutes in the oven!
I love 'Cook's Country' too, appreciate understanding what makes a dish perfect- even though I rarely have the time and energy to include all their steps.