I’ve hemmed and hawed over this post. On the one hand, I’ve been dying to share it with you–I’m a little (okay, a lot) obsessed with this chicken parmesan. It’s fantastic. Delicious. I’m craving it right now–I’ve craved it most days for at least a month now. At least 4 times a week, when I start thinking about what to make for dinner, it’s the only thing I can come up with. I think my passion is beginning to border on the peculiar.
On the other hand. It’s not my recipe–it’s The Pioneer Woman’s. And her writing and photography are so beautiful, so eloquent, so drool-worthy, I’m afraid I shouldn’t even bother. You should just go straight to her website and wallow in the deliciousness of it all. Sigh. She’s my idol.
But–her Marlboro Man doesn’t seem to have heart disease. My beloved lawyer nerd does, so I tweaked her formula a bit. If you’re trying to avoid all fat at all costs, you’ll want to skip this one. But all in all, it’s pretty darn healthy–and delicious. This is my interpretation of The Pioneer Woman’s interpretation of a classic.
Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4 (and yes, everyone at my house loves this)4 chicken cutlets (I buy them already cutlet-ized at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup red wine (because that’s what I had in the fridge; PW says white is fine, too)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 T. sugar
about 1/2 cup shredded 2% mozzarellaMix flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, one at a time, and shake gently to remove the excess. Put them on a plate.
Heat a large skillet over heat that’s sort of halfway between medium and medium-high. When it’s hot, spritz with pan spray. Add the cutlets and let cook for about five minutes, till they’re crusty and golden on the bottom. Flip ‘em over. By the time they get crusty and golden on the second side, they should be cooked through. Put them on a (clean!) plate, cover with tinfoil, and put them in the microwave oven to rest (no, don’t be silly–I’m not nuking the tinfoil; the microwave is just the warmest spot in my kitchen).
Reheat the pan to medium, spritz again (you didn’t wipe it out in between), and add the onion. Let it cook till it’s starting to soften nicely, then add the garlic. Give it all a stir, and cook for another minute or two, till the onion seems done. Add the wine and give everything a good stir, scraping the good stuff up off the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing, and is, admittedly, much more interesting if you used several tablespoons of fat to cook the protein). Let it cook until the wine is reduced by half, a couple of minutes or so.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the sugar, and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for 30ish minutes, stirring occasionally.
Give the sauce a final stir, then lay the chicken breasts carefully atop the sauce (but don’t freak out if they sink–it’s fine). Sprinkle each one with a couple of tablespoons of the mozzarella, adjusting the amounts according to the preferences of each diner. At my house, that means loads for me, less for Toby, less than that for Lee, and none for Delaney (she doesn’t like melted cheese–really? Really.). Cover the skillet with a lid just long enough to melt the cheese.
Put a pile of pasta on each plate, top with a spoonful of sauce, then put a cutlet on top.
Serve with oven-roasted broccoli (or veggie of your choice–personally, I’m getting a little sick of broccoli).