The BEST Chicken Parm! Crispy & Tender!
Over the summer Eric and I went to see the original Transformers movie at the drive in, which I hadn’t seen in years. At one point there is a group of military guys out in the desert who get attacked by alien transformers and have to fight them. One of the military guys wore a shirt that had huge bold letters: USAF For a split second I was super excited that this T-shirt existed and was already envisioning finding one I could buy for myself. I thought the shirt said, “US, af”. As in, really really US, using a naughty slang acronym. I thought it was like a millennial version of a patriotic shirt. Then I realized it stood for US Air Force. Ha!! Joke’s on me. Heeeere’s your sign, Karen. But wait, there’s more. I told my best friend Sarah this story, whose husband is actually in the Air Force. She got me this shirt for my birthday, it literally arrived in the mail as I started writing this post out. I’m thinking I probably should start a business selling USAF shirts to Air Force non-affiliates. (or maybe US, af 😂) Let’s make this a thing, guys. I am such a dork!! In addition to completely misreading T-shirts, lately I have been obsessed with Olive-Garden-type food. It started with this Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, then just the other day I asked Charlotte to make these Olive Garden breadsticks for dinner, and now here I am making chicken parmesan. What can I say, Americanized Italian food is the best kind of comfort!
What is the difference between Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Parmigiana?
Apparently there is no difference at all between calling it Chicken Parmesan and Parmigiana! Both names refer to the same dish, one of which might make you feel a little more fancy pants. If you are a waiter trying to impress guests, definitely go with Parmigiana. But let’s go deep on the really important question here:
Why is it called Chicken Parm if it’s made with mozzarella?
What gives, amiright?? Shouldn’t it be called Chicken Mozzarelliana? The name likely comes from a place, not the cheese. The city of Parma may well be where this dish originated, although no one really knows for sure. So although the word parmigiano means ‘parmesan cheese’ in Italian, the word parmigiana (see the a at the end?) likely means “from Parma.” So the dish title might just mean “Chicken from Parma.” Eventually, people must have gotten mixed up about the a and the o. Super easy language lesson, right? Now you’re ready to travel internationally! As long as you do nothing but order food, which is a distinct possibility in Italy. At least, that’s all I would want to do if I were on vacation there!
Best Chicken Parm Ingredients
Here’s your grocery list! Pretty simple!
How to make Chicken Parmesan
There are a lot of crap recipes for chicken parmesan out there. Sorry to be blunt, Internet, but you need to work on that. Lightly breaded chicken sizzled in a tiny bit of oil and then BAKED in a swimming-pool’s worth of sauce, so that it ends up rubbery and soggy all at the same time? Um, where are my gloriously crispy chicken edges? Where, Internet???
How do you keep Chicken Parmesan from getting soggy?
This recipe is the real deal. We are taking the time to fry, yes actually fry, our chicken cutlets. This is the only way to ensure that this chicken parmesan is ULTRA CRISPY. Say no to the sog, just say no. (Apparently sog is not a word. I feel like it should be. Maybe it is in Europe?) (“I know you can be overwhelmed, and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be…whelmed?” This phrase might win for most overly quoted quote on my blog.) Anyway. This isn’t just any fry job. I had a number of flops before I landed on this method. I basically just did a bunch of research on fried chicken and then applied it to chicken parmesan. Because guess what guys: chicken parmesan is just Italian-spiced fried chicken with some cheese on top, served with sauce. AND IT’S AMAZING. (My brother happened to be over the night I made this chicken parmesan, and he was nice enough to do the dishes. He saw the two pie pans in the sink and was indignant. “How is it possible that you made and ate TWO pies today and I didn’t know about it??” I had to explain that I used the pie plates for the chicken, one for flour and one for panko. If someone made two pies and didn’t tell me about it I would be spittin fire too.)
How do you keep breading on Chicken Parmesan?
The secret to ultra crispy chicken parmesan lies in the breading. Anytime you are frying chicken, here is the order of events: marinate chicken in buttermilk/egg mixture, dip in seasoned flour and cornstarch, then egg mixture again, then breadcrumbs. Panko breadcrumbs, if you know what’s good for you. You have to double dip in the egg mixture to ensure that the flour stays on, then again so that the panko stays on. If you do it this way, I promise, that breading isn’t going anywhere. But wait, cornstarch? Yes, cornstarch. When combined with flour, it prevents gluten development, making the flour coating crispier. It is the ingredient you need to achieve a ridiculous amount of crunch! Lots of recipes add seasoning to the panko. Or parmesan to the breading mixture. This just results in burned edges, in my experience. Get the fried chicken cutlet just right (with lots of seasoning from the marinade and the flour layer) and your chicken will be flavorful, juicy, and have those perfectly golden crispy edges. Then once you have your perfectly crispy chicken, top it with sauce and cheese and broil it in the oven until the cheese reaches melty perfection.
How long can you keep Chicken Parmesan in the fridge?
Chicken parm makes for some fantastic leftovers. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store the sauce separately to keep the chicken crispy. Reheat the chicken on a pan in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-20 minutes until heated through. Heat sauce separately and voila! Good as new. If you use the microwave, your chicken won’t be crispy anymore, though it will still be delicious. Slap that goodness on an Italian hoagie and die and go to sandwich heaven.
What to serve with Chicken Parm
Chicken parm isn’t chicken parm without the noodles and sauce. Spaghetti, Angel hair, linguine, whatever you want. I chose to serve a doctored jar of marinara sauce for this dish, because we’re going to so much trouble to fry the chicken and it’s really the star of the show anyway. If you want to make your own homemade marinara, more power to you. Or, if you want to go the other direction, serve just a jar or two of un-doctored sauce. Guests will be left so speechless by your crispy fried chicken that they won’t even notice. Serve up the cheesy chicken situation with pasta and sauce. Don’t add the sauce until you plate it, so as to maintain crisp chicken parmesan integrity. As for side dishes, you really don’t need much beyond a big green salad. The Best Garlic Bread of Your Life would of course be amazing, or some Olive Garden breadsticks or One Hour French Bread to mop up all the sauce!
More easy chicken dinners you will love!
Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo « another Olive Garden classic! So much better at home. Crispy Fish Parmesan « this is just like chicken parmesan, but with crispy fish! SO good. Greek Pasta with Chicken « I love making this using zoodles too. Pan Seared Chicken in Lemon Basil Cream Sauce « this is so easy to make and so delicious! Slow Cooker Basil Chicken in Coconut Cream Sauce « one of the top recipes on my blog! Sheet Pan Rosemary Lime Chicken and Veggies « and easy sheet pan dinner with unique flavors! Crispy Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch « it’s like a fast food chicken sandwich…in salad form. YAS. Simple Amazing Grilled Chicken Marinade « this is my go-to chicken marinade. It never lets me down! Asian Seared Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans « this chicken also uses cornstarch to get a SUPER crispy crust. Super Crispy Fried Chicken from Dinner Then Dessert Baked Chicken Thighs from Shugary Sweets Chicken Marsala from House of Nash Eats
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