Jan 27, 2012

Fried and Roasted Chicken w/ Tomato Sauce topped w/ Mozarella and Cheddar

I am a hugeee fan of anything dairy. That is why cheese has been my all-time-fav til now. But I'm quite ashamed that I haven't tried all kinds of cheeses. I really want to try cheese platter someday! 

So two days ago, I made this chicken w/ mozzarella. It is so amazing! The chicken is fried with breadcrumbs and cornflakes (this is optional, just to make it crunchier). Then I roasted it in the oven to melt the cheese and gives a little bit more kick in the flavor. ;) 

Definitely recommended :) 



Fried and Roasted Chicken w/ Tomato Sauce topped w/ Mozarella and Cheddar 
original recipe here 

Ingredients


Sauce:

  • 1/2 large yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (I didn't use this because I ain't got any)
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (and also this)
  • Pinch of sugar

Chicken:

  • 4 chicken breast cutlets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
  • Salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (I also add crushed cornflakes in it, to make the chicken crunchier)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

Method

1 Prepare the sauce. Coarsely grate half of an onion. Grating the onion will create smaller onion pieces and release more of the onion's juices, and is faster than chopping. Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Then add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to maintain the simmer. Cook, uncovered while you prepare the chicken (about 10-12 minutes).
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^pic credit here 

2 Preheat oven to 400°F. Working one at a time, place a chicken cutlet between two layers of wax paper (or plastic wrap). With a meat pounder, pound the chicken pieces to flatten them to an even thickness - between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. (If you don't have a meat pounder, you can use a rubber mallet, an empty wine bottle, or a heavy rolling pin.) Salt the chicken pieces well.

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^pic credit here 

3 In a shallow bowl (large enough to dredge the cutlets), mix together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and pinch of salt. In separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs.


4 Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. The oil should be shimmering, not smoking. Dredge the chicken pieces 1 piece at a time first in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Then lay the pieces in the hot sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium, then gently fry the cutlets until they are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. 
chicken-parm-3.jpgchicken-parm-4.jpg
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^pic credit here 
5 Spread enough tomato sauce to thickly coat the bottom of 9x13 casserole pan or baking dish. Once the cutlets are browned on both sides, arrange them on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Place sauce over each of the cutlets. Sprinkle the tops with sliced basil. Then top the cutlets with slices of mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.


6 Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the mozzarella begins to brown.

Serve with spaghetti and the remaining sauce, or in a large roll.

Serves 4.


 Vie's result :


Vie's notes : Try to pound the chicken until it reaches 1-1/2 cm. The flavor will be richer! And be careful when frying them. Do not over heat to prevent burning. For the sauce, it is gonna be better if you made made the sauce a lot so that it covers all the chicken in the baking dish. :)

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