Quick Chicken Parmesan

Adapted from Fine Cooking


Printable Recipe

This recipe comes from a Fine Cooking magazine, and I've been wanting to try it ever since I saw it.  I made it tonight, and it is delicious!  Panko bread crumbs make for a very crisp crust, and fresh Mozzarella  and Parmesan cheeses, make all the difference in the world, particularly the fresh Mozzarella.  You should be able to find it in almost any larger grocery store.  Look in or near the Deli department.  You should be able to find Panko crumbs with the other dry bread crumbs, probably in the baking aisle and if not there, check the ethnic foods section (they are a Japanese-style bread crumbs).

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
1/2 cup flour
salt
pepper
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
about 5 tbsp olive oil, more if needed
4 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced, more if desired
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated on a small box grater

Sauce

(I used doctored-up Ragu sauce, but only because I didn't have the tomatoes on hand. I will definitely try making this sauce the next time I make these.)


1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
chpd onion, optional
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chpd, optional
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup packed fresh basil, chopped (1/2 oz)


Mix the flour, salt and pepper together on a plate. In a shallow bowl, beat together the eggs and water. In another shallow bowl, pour in the Panko bread crumbs.

Between 2 sheets of waxed paper, pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. This will make them quite large, depending on the size of the breasts.
Dip the breasts in the flour mixture, coating both sides. Dip them in the egg mixture, coating them on both sides. Then dip them in the bread crumbs, coating them on both sides and pressing down the bread crumbs on both sides.

Brown the breaded chicken in a heated skillet in the oil, one at a time. Use about 1 tbsp of oil for each breast. Brown well on both sides. You can brown them until they are almost cooked through, and have a shorter baking time; or you can brown them just until browned and bake them longer. I did the latter, and ended up having to guess how long to bake the chicken, but they still came out very moist and delicious. Repeat the browning process with each chicken breast, adding about 1 tbsp of oil for each one.

Place the chicken on a rack inside a large roasting pan that is lined with foil. At this point, I grated some fresh Parmesan cheese on top of the chicken, thinking they would bake through more quickly than they did. Since the chicken took longer than I thought, the cheese ended up browning, but this may have contributed to the crispness of the breading - which ended up being very good. You could wait until  the chicken is closer to being done, to add the Parmesan cheese.

Bake 425° for about 20 - 25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. About 5 - 7 minutes before the end of cooking time, place the fresh Mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken and continue baking until the cheese is melted. It does not need to brown.

Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, just before serving and then top with some more freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

If you brown the chicken in the skillet until they are cooked about halfway through, the baking time may take as little as 5 -7 minutes, according to the recipe. If this is the case, top right away with the fresh cheeses before baking.

Serve with cooked thin spaghetti noodles and a nice, crusty bread and a crisp green salad and you will have a most, delicious meal!



For the Sauce
In a clean skillet, over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil, stirring often, until onion is tender and slightly browned about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

Breaded Pork Chops

 

Printable Recipe

So easy and so moist! I didn't really follow any recipe and didn't measure anything, either, but I'll give you approximate amounts. I used plain bread crumbs, but next time I will use Italian bread crumbs for the added flavor. If you're able, bake them on a rack in a roasting pan so they will brown on both sides and remain crisp.

6 - 7 boneless pork chops, about 1/2" thick
1/2 cup flour (or more, if needed) seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 - 2 cups dry bread crumbs (I used plain, but net time will try Italian bread crumbs - I might even add some Italian seasoning to the bread crumbs, as well)


a little olive oil


On a plate, mix together the flour,salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside. Beat together the eggs and milk in a shallow, large bowl and set aside.  Place the dry bread crumbs on another plate and set aside.

Dredge the pork chops in the seasoned flour, coating both sides well. Dip in the egg mixture, coating both sides then dip them in the dry bread crumbs, coating both sides well.

Fry the pork chops in a little bit of oil in a heated skillet, just until browned on both sides. This will only take a few minutes. Place the chops on a rack in a roasting pan and bake 375° for about 15 - 18 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle. The thickness of your chops will determine how long they need to bake. Turn them over halfway through baking so both sides brown evenly.

Spice Cake with Spiced Vanilla Buttercream

This is a dense and spicy cake that is so good! It is somewhat a lengthy process to make, but it is so worth it! You can top it with a cream cheese frosting, or use a regular Vanilla Buttercream as I've done below.

 

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Printable Recipe


Cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
16 tbsp butter (2 sticks), divided
1/2 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1  3/4 (12 1/4 oz) granulated sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp grated fresh peeled gingerroot
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13" pan. Combine the spices in a small bowl and reserve 1/2 tsp for the frosting.

Heat 4 tbsp of the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat until melted. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is lightly browned and has a faint nutty aroma, about a couple of minutes. Add the spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking pwd, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In another bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the remaining 12 tbsp butter with the sugar and molasses at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add the cooled butter and spice mixture, grated ginger, and half of egg mixture; mix for about 15 seconds. Add the remaining egg mixture and beat for another 15 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl.

On low speed, add one-third of flour mixture and half of the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated, about 5 seconds. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, with remaining buttermilk and mix until incorporated, another 5 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix for about 15 seconds. Fold batter once or twice with a rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

Pour batter in prepared pan and run a knife through the batter  and then lightly tap bottom of pan on counter-top a few times, to remove any air bubbles.

Bake 130 degrees, about 32-37 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack and frost.

Frosting 
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups pwd sugar
reserved spice mixture
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp milk or more, if needed

With an electric mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the pwd sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

If you prefer a Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
5 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/4 cups pwd sugar
reserved spice mixture
1/2 tsp vanilla

With an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese until smooth, then add the butter and beat until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, beating until smooth.