Javascript is not enabled.

Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.

Skip to content
Content starts here
CLOSE ×
Search
Leaving AARP.org Website

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Better-Than-Store-Bought Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Excerpted from ‘Everyday Delicious: 30-Minute(ish) Home-Cooked Meals Made Simple’


spinner image Chicken parm in pan, with piece on plate next to it
Jonathan Pushnik

This classic dish is delicious, due in part to what’s called the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction that causes the browning of food during cooking. When food is cooked and browned, an array of chemicals react to create hundreds of flavor compounds easily recognizable in foods we love. Here we take full advantage of the Maillard reaction: The chicken is breaded and browned, then topped with sauce and creamy mozzarella, which is broiled until bubbling and — you guessed it — golden brown. All those layers of browning interact to create a rich, complex flavor that makes chicken parm such a lasting hit. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a pinch of bread crumbs before frying the chicken. If they sizzle quickly, your oil is ready to turn your chicken golden brown and delicious. — Rocco DiSpirito

 

Better-Than-Store-Bought Chicken Parmesan

Serves 6 to 8

Total Time: 20 minutes

 

Ingredients

  • Pomodoro sauce (recipe follows)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin cutlets
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Neutral oil, for shallow-frying
  • 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

 

Directions

Make the pomodoro sauce as directed (recipe below).

Preheat the broiler to high heat.

While the sauce is cooking, set up three shallow dishes: Place the flour in one dish and the eggs in a second. In the third bowl, toss together the bread crumbs and Parmesan.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken first in the flour, then in the eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs.

Pour 2 inches of oil into a deep pan and heat over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. Working in batches of 1 or 2 cutlets to avoid crowding the pan, fry the cutlets in the hot oil until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes per side. As they cook, transfer them to a sheet pan.

When all the cutlets are cooked, generously sauce the top of each with the pomodoro sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella.

Place under the broiler and broil until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

 

Spaghetti Pomodoro 365

If you were to commit one recipe to memory from this book, let it be this spaghetti pomodoro. The beauty of this dish centers around the tomato, a fruit I’ve dedicated countless hours of my life to worshiping. The most vivid memories from my childhood come from the late summer, when my family would spend weeks preserving the ripe tomatoes we’d use for the rest of the year. To me, the tomato is so much more than an ingredient: I’ve slept, worked, and lived in pursuit of its greatness. This recipe is the ultimate presentation of that dedication.

Pomodoro is really a testament to the wonders of Italian cuisine: a handful of simple fresh ingredients that, when made well, dazzle. This recipe, adapted from my mother’s, is what grandmothers are making in Italy at this very moment. It’s what I’d eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of all the pastas in the world, this is my favorite.

 

Serves 4 (double if making for recipe above)

Total time: 20 minutes

 

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 15 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 30 to 40 basil leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
  • Pinch of red chile flakes
  • 2 (24.5-ounce) bottles Mutti tomato puree (passata)
  • ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Directions

In a deep pan or soup pot, combine the olive oil and garlic.

Set the pan over medium-high heat and begin to toast the garlic, making sure to break up any piles of garlic, continuously agitating the pot to ensure it cooks evenly. Add the basil and chile flakes and continue cooking until the garlic is a nice amber brown (but not burnt).

Now that the oil is infused, stir in the tomato puree and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve garnished with Parmesan and some basil.

Excerpted from Everyday Delicious, copyright © 2024 by Rocco DiSpirito. Used by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

Cook With Rocco

spinner image Book with words 30 Minute-ish Home-Cooked Meals Made Simple, Everyday Delicious, Rocco DiSpirito
Rodale Books/Penguin Random House

DiSpirito shared two more recipes from Everyday Delicious for AARP members to try:

Curry Kani Salad

The word kani in “kani salad” (a mayo-based dish popular in Japan) is short for kani kama, the imitation crab sticks used by Japanese sushi restaurants.

Spring Saffron Risotto With Chicken

This vibrant yellow risotto is tinted and flavored by saffron, an almost otherworldly spice with floral, sweet, and earthy notes that must be experienced to be understood.

Read about Rocco DiSpirito’s cookbook, Everyday Delicious.

 

                                  More Members Only Access

 

Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member?