This is probably Tony’s favorite meal and was one of the first recipes he made sure that I got from his mom (a.k.a. “Grandma Pat”). Her recipe is amazing and over the years, I have pretty much stayed true to the original. Here is my most current version:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 4 cups (about) panko breadcrumbs (see note below)
- 4 tablespoons (about) Parmesan cheese
- 1.5 - 2 lbs Mozzarella cheese
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt, pepper
Special note on breadcrumbs: My sister Lia introduced me to Whole Foods Italian breadcrumbs. These are REALLY good. In this picture, I used a combination of the Whole Foods breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs. SO good!
Before you get started on prepping your chicken, make sure your gravy is cooked and ready to serve. That’s gravy, not sauce and yes, it is red (gravy recipe will be a separate post one day!).
The chicken needs to be dredged in flour, egg and breadcrumbs (in that order). I use three different Pyrex dishes and create the following “mixes:”
- Flour mixed with a couple of pinches of cayenne
- Egg beaten with a shot of water and a pinch of salt and pepper
- Mix of panko, Whole Food breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese
Dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Once all of the chicken breasts are coated, place in the refrigerator for about an hour before cooking.
Heat a large frying pan and add enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken breasts in the pan and let them brown on one side; about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and brown the breasts on the other side.
Place a small amount of gravy all over the bottom of a sheet pan. Place the browned chicken on top of the gravy. Put a small amount of gravy on top of each piece of chicken. Smother the chicken with shredded mozzarella and cook the chicken for approximately 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Serve your chicken parm with a side of spaghetti or penne.
A note about cheese: I like to shred my own cheese. It takes more time and some days I curse when I have to do it, but I really feel like it tastes better. My favorite mozzarella right now is Whole Foods part skim mozzarella. My “back-up” mozzarella is Boars Head whole milk mozzarella (I get this at Caputo’s - ask the deli to cut you a “chunk” of mozzarella, which is about 1 ½ pounds).
Enjoy!