Chicken Cutlets with Parmigiana Sauce
Cotolette di Pollo alla Parmigiana
Serves 6
Printable Version
To make the scaloppine, first remove the chicken tenderloin from each breast, and freeze for later use. Cut the chicken breasts across the grain (widthwise) into three slices. Hold your knife at a 20- to 30- degree angle to the cutting board so that you slice the breasts on the bias, and end up with an oval shaped scaloppine. You will get approximately three scaloppine from each breast. Pound the slices lightly between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap to a thickness of 1⁄4 inch.
Sprinkle each scaloppine with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.
To bread your scaloppine, place the beaten eggs and the bread crumbs in separate deep dishes or pie tins. Dip each scaloppine in the egg, holding it over the dish to allow the excess egg to drip back into the dish. en place each scaloppine in the bread crumbs, pressing the scallop firmly down into the crumbs. Gently turn the chicken over, and press the other side into the crumbs. Remove the chicken from the bread crumbs, tapping lightly to remove any loose crumbs, and place on a sheet pan. Once breaded, your scaloppine are now called cutlets, or cotelette in Italian.
Preheat your oven to 200°.
Heat 3⁄4 cup of the olive oil in a large (at least 12-inch) sauté pan on medium-high, and fry the cutlets in the olive oil, gently turning until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. You will have to do these in batches to avoid burning the chicken. Drain the cutlets on a paper towel, then transfer to a sheet pan and cover with foil. Hold the cutlets in the warm oven until you have finished your sauce. Dispose of the cooking oil.
In a bowl, mix the three grated cheeses together.
Make the Parmigiana Sauce. Pour half of the sauce in one large deep baking dish. Place the cutlets on top and cover with the cheese mixture.
Preheat the broiler. Broil them in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese starts to brown.
Serve them on a serving tray with the extra sauce on the side.
