Mains · Italian-American
Chicken Parmesan
Crisp, cheesy cutlets with a quick garlicky tomato sauce spooned on at the very end so the crust stays crunchy.
- Hands-on
- 50 min
- Hands-off
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Makes
- 4 cutlets
- Serves
- 4
The sauce simmers while the salted cutlets rest, and the broiler heats while you fry, so neither is added on top. Total = 50 min active (cutting, sauce, coating, frying, broiling) + 20 min hands-off (salt rest and sauce simmer at the same time). Allow a little longer the first time you cut cutlets.
- medium
- weeknight
- family-dinner
- comfort-food
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? Fry only 2 cutlets at a time in a 25 cm (10 in) skillet; for 8 cutlets, fry in 4 batches and add fresh oil if the pan runs dry. The sauce already makes enough for 4 cutlets plus 4 servings of pasta. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: medium saucepan · 25 cm (10 in) nonstick skillet · rimmed baking sheet · 2 shallow dishes · plastic wrap and a meat pounder or rolling pin · separate cutting board for raw chicken · tongs · paper towels · instant-read thermometer · oven mitts
Contains: egg · milk · wheat
Method
Cut and flatten the cutlets
On a cutting board kept just for raw chicken, slice each of the 2 breasts in half horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets. Cover them with plastic wrap and pound to an even 1.3 cm (1/2 in) thickness.
Otto tried this firstOtto pounds one cutlet paper-thin and leaves another twice as thick. Uneven cutlets cook unevenly: aim for the same 1.3 cm (1/2 in) all over.Salt and rest
Sprinkle 1/8 tsp kosher salt on each side of each cutlet (1 tsp in total). Leave them on a plate at room temperature for 20 minutes while you make the sauce. Wash your hands, the board and the pounder in hot, soapy water.
Start the sauce
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp dried oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.
Ready when: The oil shimmers before the garlic goes in, and the garlic smells fragrant but hasn't browned.
Simmer the sauce
Stir in the 794 g (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes and 1/4 tsp sugar. Turn the heat to high until it bubbles, then lower to medium-low and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
Ready when: The sauce has thickened and no longer looks watery when you drag a spoon through it.
Finish the sauce
Take the pan off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp chopped basil and the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, cover and keep warm.
Mix cheese and set up the broiler
Toss the 57 g (1/2 cup) mozzarella and 57 g (1/2 cup) fontina together in a bowl. Put an oven rack about 10 cm (4 in) below the broiler element and turn the broiler on.
Make the two coatings
In one shallow dish whisk the egg with 1 tbsp flour until smooth. In a second shallow dish mix 43 g (3/4 cup) Parmesan, 120 ml (1/2 cup) panko, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Coat the cutlets
Pat the cutlets dry. Dip each one in the egg mixture and let the extra drip off, then press it into the Parmesan mixture on all sides. Lay them on a large clean plate.
Fry, 2 at a time
Heat 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil in the 25 cm (10 in) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in 2 cutlets, away from you, and leave them alone for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook the second side 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the other 2.
Ready when: The oil shimmers before the chicken goes in. Each side is crisp and deep golden brown. You'll check the inside temperature after broiling.
Cheese and broil
Set the cutlets on the rimmed baking sheet and cover the tops as fully as you can with the cheese mix. Broil 2 to 4 minutes, watching the whole time.
Ready when: The cheese has melted and is just starting to brown. An instant-read thermometer in the thickest cutlet reads at least 74°C (165°F); if not, broil a minute more and check again.
Sauce and serve
Move the cutlets to a platter, spoon 2 tbsp sauce over each and scatter the 15 g (1/4 cup) torn basil on top. Serve right away with the rest of the sauce on the side, or with pasta.
Swaps
- Instead of 57 g mozzarella + 57 g fontina: all whole-milk mozzarella Many classic versions use only mozzarella. The fontina makes the topping softer and less chewy, so mozzarella alone is a little stringier.
- Instead of homemade tomato sauce: a jar of prepared tomato sauce, warmed Saves the 25 minutes of sauce-making; taste it for salt before serving.
Don’t swap
- regular fine bread crumbs for all of the Parmesan: the cheese is what keeps the coating from going soggy
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it's above 32°C / 90°F) and eat within 3 to 4 days. Frozen, they keep 3 to 4 months.
- Reheat
- Reheat until the centre reaches 74°C (165°F). The crust will be softer than when freshly fried.
If something goes wrong
- Soggy crust Why: Sauce under or between the cutlet and the cheese, or a coating with too many bread crumbs.
Put the cheese straight onto the fried cutlet so it shields the crust, and add the sauce only on top just before serving. Keep the coating mostly Parmesan. - Dry, tough chicken Why: Uneven or thick cutlets, or skipping the salt rest.
Pound to an even 1.3 cm (1/2 in), salt and rest 20 minutes, and fry only until deep golden. - Rubbery cheese blanket Why: Mozzarella only, broiled too long.
Mix in fontina and take the tray out as soon as the cheese begins to brown.
Good to know
- Salting the cutlets 20 minutes ahead helps them stay juicy.
- Fry just 2 cutlets at a time so the oil stays hot and the crust browns instead of steaming.
Safety
- Raw chicken: use its own cutting board, don't rinse it (splashes spread germs), and wash hands, board and tools in hot, soapy water before touching anything else.
- Chicken is safe at 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part. Colour isn't a reliable test: use a thermometer.
- Hot oil spatters and burns. Pat the cutlets dry, lay them in away from you, keep children back from the stove, and never leave the pan unattended.
- The broiler, baking sheet and pan get very hot: use oven mitts.