We have made a few modifications to this that have made a huge difference. We found that using a whole chicken breast is sometimes too much, not necessarily because of the size of the breast, but because of the thickness. It's important that the chicken is cooked evenly. To solve this problem, we make two servings out of one breast by either filleting it in half and/or pounding the breast down with a flat-sided tenderizer.
One important kitchen tool to have for this recipe is a cast-iron skillet. Cast iron cooking is my favorite because of how evenly heat is distributed within the skillet. It also provides a versatile instrument; you can fry or bake with it. With this recipe, after the chicken is sufficiently brown, it will go straight into the oven to bake for a few minutes. It is possible to move the chicken into an oven dish to finish the cooking process, but a dramatic decrease in temperature may change the cooking time.
Until yesterday, we used Italian breadcrumbs for the outer coat of the chicken. Don't make this same mistake; it is so much better with the panko breadcrumbs because they stay crunchy. An addition that has made this recipe better is milk. Milk will help the breading stick to the chicken a little better, you made combine the milk and egg or keep them separate. If you decide to keep them separate, dip the chicken into the milk first, and then into the egg white. Our dipping method is also a little different from the original recipe; see below.
As always, give this recipe a try, send us pictures, and post feedback.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of milk
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (thawed)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1/2 cup jarred tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees (F). Place cast-iron skillet onto stove at medium heat. Do no put in oil until you are ready to put in chicken. Since you are using cast iron, the handle will get really hot, so from here on out handle the skillet with a pot holder.
Combine the first three ingredients in a shallow dish. Put the next three ingredients (milk, egg whites, panko) each into their own shallow dish. Beat egg whites until broken apart and frothy. Dip each chicken breast into the milk, then egg, then flour mixture, then milk, then egg, then panko, and set aside. Make sure that the chicken is evenly coated in the panko. Spoon extra panko where needed on breast, and pat down to ensure that it won't come off. Repeat with next chicken breast.
Put one tablespoon of oil onto pan and coat pan evenly by tilting pan in each direction. Oil will smoke a little; you may need to add a little more oil to coat the pan. Carefully place each breaded breast side-by-side into the skillet cook for 2-3 minutes and then turn each breast over. If oil runs out, drizzle more around each breast. After chicken is brown on each side, coat with non-stick spray, and place skillet in preheated oven for about 5 minutes then remove skillet from oven, flip chicken to opposite side to cook. Before placing back into oven, carefully spoon tomato sauce onto the center of each piece, keeping it from oozing over the sides. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese onto the tomato sauce, and then cover with the mozzarella. Return pan into oven for 5 minutes. During the last two minutes of cooking, turn the oven to broil to help the cheese to melt and become bubbly. Pull chicken out of oven, and leave on skillet to rest for a few more minutes. Serve with angel hair pasta. Enjoy.
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