Friday, June 3, 2022

Chicken Parmesan (Amazing and Tender)


 Hey Guys and Gals..

This Parmesan Chicken Recipe is one of my all time favorite meals. I love all things Italian.

 This comes out incredibly juicy, tender and perfectly crisp on the outside. It truly is the BEST chicken parmesan! 

You take thin cut chicken breast and bread them in a mixture of parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Next I pan fry them until golden brown then top them with marinara and mozzarella cheese. Broil to melt the cheese than serve! 

What I love most about this garlic parmesan chicken is that it stays crispy and does not get soggy! This recipe starts with a three step breading process. Flour, egg, parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. To keep the chicken extra juicy I use skinless boneless chicken breast and cut them in half. I pound them out to a 1/2 inch thickness. This helps the chicken to cook evenly as well as shortening the cooking time. Fast quick cooking = more tender chicken..

Check out the Recipe-

INGREDIENTS:


Chicken Breast: Make sure to pound these out really thin! I would  cut the chicken breast in half length wise then pound them out. 

Olive Oil: Helps to keep the chicken from sticking to the pan and helps it get golden brown and crispy on the outside. All Purpose Flour: Gives the egg something to stick to. 

Eggs: Help to keep the breading onto the chicken. 

Panko Breadcrumbs: The panko breadcrumbs gives the breading a light and airy texture. I recommend using panko over regular breadcrumbs. It makes the breading a lot crunchier! 

Parmesan Cheese: 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese is added to the breading! When testing this recipe I kept adding more and more parmesan cheese to the breading. I felt it added some much needed salt and added so much flavor. Breading: Flour, Egg, Panko Breadcrumbs and

  Parmesan Cheese Mozzarella Cheese: I prefer to use fresh sliced mozzarella cheese over shredded prepackaged mozzarella. Pre shredded cheese contains additives that keep it from melting properly.

 Tomato Sauce: Use your favorite tomato sauce recipe or try my slow cooker tomato sauce! Basil: Is a must for topping this chicken parm!

DIRECTIONS:


Slice chicken in half: Start by cutting chicken in half horizontally. Pound each piece until 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Bread chicken: Add flour to a shallow dish, set aside. Add egg to a shallow bowl and whisk, set aside. Add breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese to a shallow bowl and mix to combine. Starting with the flour and ending with breadcrumbs, dip the chicken into the flour, egg and Parmesan breadcrumbs. The best way to bread the chicken is to keep one hand for wet ingredients and one hand for dry. This helps from getting the dreaded breading hands. 

Pan fry chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken two at a time to the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden grown and cooked all the way through.


Broil: Place chicken in a pan or sheet tray and top with mozzarella cheese. Broil on high until melted and bubbly.


Serve: Immediately with tomato sauce on top and a sprinkle of basil for serving!


DON'T SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE:

What To Serve with this dish-


Serve with a big plate of pasta and extra tomato sauce on the side

 Zucchini Noodles for a low carb option Pasta with Garlic and Oil Egg Noodles

 Mashed Potatoes 

Pasta Carbonara 

Garlic Bread 

Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts 

Olive Garden Copycat Salad

ENJOY!

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Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






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Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household