Went to ski today and didn’t feel like going out to eat, and didn’t feel like a big food shop. Grabbed a package of thin chicken cutlets and said I’ll figure it out , and I did. Didn’t have mozzarella in the house, and I never use jarred sauce ( not that there’s anything wrong with it) and if you’re going to use it this would be a fine time to use it.
I did have a big chunk of fresh parmigiano reggiano, always have diced tomatoes in the can, always have garlic and onion. So this is what I did. I recommend it for a little something different, and a little lighter than the traditional Chicken Parm. Perfect Sunday night meal before sitting down to 2 hours of Downton Abbey.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 package of thin skinless chicken cutlets app. 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
all-purpose flour
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
4 cloves garlic , minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cup Red Wine (whatever is open, I used a Malbec)
1 28 oz. can of diced San Marzano Tomatoes ( I used Cento Chef’s Cut )
1 Tablespoon Sugar (I use this to cut the acidity of the tomatoes) it’s optional
app. 1 cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
Pasta of your liking , I used thin spaghetti
Directions:
I put some flour on a plate with some kosher salt an black pepper. ( if I had to guess about 1/2 cup flour) Dredge chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and combo is hot, add chicken breasts and fry until a nice golden color, about 3 – 4 minutes per side.
Remove chicken breasts and place on a plate pat off oil and cover with aluminum foil. I have a warming drawer and placed in there, this drawer rarely gets used so I am happy to justify it every once in a while) if no warming drawer just keep it covered.
Without cleaning out pan you just fryed chicken in, add onions and garlic, stir for a few minutes till onions soften and become transparent, don’t burn garlic. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan ( scraping up the bottom of the pan, getting all the bits up from the bottom) Allow wine to cook down for another few minutes. Pour in diced tomatoes and stir to combine all ingredients. Add sugar, salt and pepper, I also added a little crushed red pepper ( I love to add this to sauce) Allow to cook for at least 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally. If you’d like you can add some italian herbs to this sauce, sometimes a little basil, a little oregano, and sometimes the italian herb mixture from Spice Islands. ( just another thought)
While sauce is cooking , cook pasta according to directions. Save a cup of the pasta water just in case your sauce is too thick, you can thin out with a little pasta water.
After about 45 minutes, you can lay the chicken breasts on top of the sauce in the skillet, and I completely covered them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. I let it simmer until cheese was melted and chicken was thoroughly heated through.
Place pasta in bowl, and put some sauce over pasta, and place chicken breasts on top. Serve immediately.
This will probably serve 3 – 4 people. You can probably add a little more chicken ( 1/2 lb) and you’d still have enough sauce and could squeeze it in the skillet.
A very large skillet is a wonderful thing to own. Mine is All-Clad and I love it.
Cooking with Candi 