Secrets to Perfect Chicken Parmesan: It Comes Down to the Oil & Cheese

Chicken parmesan is a must-learn for Italian-American households – but how you cook it can take your dish to the next level.

Overall, the meal should take between an hour and an hour and a half to make, depending on whether the chicken breasts are pre-cut or not. Here’s how to make the perfect chicken parmesan to impress your family.

What To Know About Chicken Parmesan In Prep Stage

Preparing chicken breasts is a critical step. It’s the same as making chicken cutlets. Make sure chicken breasts are flattened and as thin as possible (you can use a kitchen mallet tool or even a pot to get the results). A thicker product will ruin the experience.

Speaking of thickness, this is the reason I do away with flour and recommend doing the same. Using just egg and breadcrumbs offers more of a thin and crispy crust.

Also, the breadcrumb brand matters. These come best with seasoned or Italian-style breadcrumbs. Try to avoid panko because these will taste much drier. But at the same time, panko does absorb less oil – so for some households, Italian-style or traditional isn’t ideal.

Moreover, be aware of the brand too because many of them, like 4C, will contain unnecessary ingredients such as oils and corn syrup.

The Pope brand has become my new favorite breadcrumb. It’s made with simple ingredients including wheat flour, yeast, romano cheese, basil, etc. – the perfect mix for Italian-style cutlets. These can be found at Stop & Shop for $3.99, according to a local store viewed by HealthyonBudget. Keep in mind, though, that prices can vary by location.

Another for the prep process: use two separate hands when ready to cover the chicken breasts. One for the eggs and the other for applying breadcrumbs. This avoids excess buildup on your hands.

Important Steps For Cooking And Oil Usage

When ready to start frying your chicken cutlets, the oil usage is important. Although extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point, make sure to use at least some of this – it takes the flavor of your chicken to the next level.

You can mix the oil with another. I use avocado oil – but if you’re on a crunch budget-wise, feel free to use a cheaper oil like canola. Fry these on medium-high heat for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Use Multiple Cheeses

After the frying process, you can start layering it. The sauce to me is less important – use your preference, whether it’s a homemade or a quality jar sauce.

The cheese is the key step. Always use fresh mozzarella cheese, preferably one that has some salt. A little bit of pecorino romano is also good to use. But the game changer for me recently has been adding provolone cheese to the mix.

I like to rip each piece of provolone in half and layer it over the dusting of pecorino until the cutlets are fully covered. Then the fresh mozzarella slices go on top – figure two slices for each cutlet. But the provolone really makes a difference.

The oven gets preheated to 400 degrees; when done, bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.

Serve with spaghetti or your choice of pasta and you have the perfect chicken parmesan to feed your family.

To sum this up, thin chicken cutlets, both provolone and fresh mozzarella cheese and some extra virgin olive oil are critical to making the best chicken parmesan. Also, unless you’re calorie-watching, don’t be afraid to add extra romano or parmesan cheese on top of your pasta or chicken.