Ok, my ankle is not broken but I thought “I broke my ankle 10 years ago and they put in a plate and 5 screws and since the screws started bothering me, I just had the hardware removed Chicken Parmigiana” didn’t have the same ring to it.
So anyways, I had the surgery 4 days ago and I’m still at home recovering. Â I can’t say I have my appetite back nor have I had any real food cravings. Considering the fact I’m not really mobile I’ve just been eating what others have been putting in front of me. Â But Ben’s been talking about chicken parmesan for the last few days and I thought it would be nice to sit in the kitchen and make dinner together. Â To be honest with you, I had it in my mind that I would give directions and he would make it but then my kitchen OCD kicked in and I had to take over.
Seeing as I don’t have a “favourite jarred tomato sauce” as directed to use in most quick chicken parmesan recipes so I thought I’d whip up a simple homemade one.
Tonight’s version of my simple tomato sauce:
- Finely dice an onion, carrot and celery pug into a pot/pan heated with olive oil.
- Â Add a few cloves of minced garlic to the pan and let this soffritto cook slowly so it softens but doesn’t colour(around 15 min).
- Add a drained tin  of whole tomatoes(the big can) crushed by hand , (why don’t I just add crushed or diced tomatoes?  I don’t know, I just like knowing that I’ve done the work and not some big piece of machinery in a factory somewhere).
- Season with s&p, dried basil, oregano, chili flakes and a tablespoon of brown sugar and let the whole pot simmer for around 30 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning. Â At this point, I like to add a touch of balsamic vinegar to my sauce.
- Depending on your preference in texture, it’s either done or you can add the last step of blending. Â I didn’t feel like having a chunky sauce so I used my immersion blender to make a smooth sauce.
Instructions for the chicken parmesan:
- Add tomato sauce to bottom of a baking dish.
- Cut 2 chicken breasts each in half. Â Pound breasts out so that they are uniform in thickness. Â I’ve seen instructions on how you’re supposed to put the chicken between plastic wrap and use a mallet. Â I used the back of a ladle and was successful. Season flattened breasts with s&p.
- Crack an egg into a shallow bowl& mix.
- Add 3/4 cup of panko (or breadcrumbs) and 3/4 cup grated parmesan to a dish. Â Now your breading station is ready.
- Take your chicken breast and dip it into the egg and then coat with panko.
- Heat a pan with oil and fry the chicken on both sides until golden, (a few minutes per side). Â Fry the chicken in batches so not to crowd the pan. Â Place the chicken on top of the tomato sauce.
- Add slices of mozzarella (I used fresh aka boccaccini) on top of the chicken.
- Put the baking dish under the broiler for 5-7 minutes (until the cheese is golden and bubbly).
- Enjoy!