Chicken parmesan
For the Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup best-quality olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes such as Muir Glen
1/2 tsp. sugar
15 basil leaves still attached to their stems
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Chicken:
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts about 6 to 8 oz. each
2 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs such as Progresso (not flavored)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
To finish the dish:
1 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 5 oz.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 oz.) plus extra for passing
1 lb. pasta
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For the sauce: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan or wide bottom saucepan. When hot add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, sugar and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and freshly ground pepper as needed.
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For the chicken: Remove tenders from chicken breasts if still attached and reserve for another use. Place each breast on a flat surface and slice through horizontally into two cutlets. Pound between two sheets of plastic wrap to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper until well broken up. Place breadcrumbs in a pie plate and mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Dip one cutlet in the egg wash, tap off excess, and dip each side into the breadcrumbs. Repeat with three additional cutlets. Transfer the four cutlets to hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Cook as many cutlets as you can at one time without crowding your pan.) Turn and fry until golden on second side, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels or wire rack.
Continue to dip and fry remaining cutlets until all are finished. Meanwhile set a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
- To finish the dish: Arrange the cutlets in a single layer on a large baking dish. Remove basil leaves from tomato sauce. Ladle a few tablespoons of sauce over each cutlet and evenly distribute the cheeses over the top. When the water is boiling, add the pasta. Place the cutlets in the heated oven. Cook the cutlets until the cheese is bubbly and spotty brown, about 5 minutes.
Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the al dente directions and drain and add back to the pot with the sauce. Fold pasta and sauce together over low heat to evenly coat the pasta with the sauce, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately with the chicken, passing extra Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper as desired.
Serves 6.