Friday, July 24, 2009

Supertastic Chicken

The Vegas crew have been gone a few days and I think the dust is finally settling. Good Lord, entertaining 3 kids with very different personalities is exhausting! In addition to the kids, there was Mom, Auntie and my not-so-baby baby brother. They were actually very good guests, always cleaning up after themselves. As an added bonus, Mom and Auntie did all the cooking during their visit. It was like I was the guest in my own home, which I’m not at all complaining about. Problem is, now that they are gone, I can’t seem to find anything in my kitchen and I have to get back into the habit of shopping and cooking. Quite honestly, I'm not in the mood.




As you can imagine, we ate a lot of Thai food, and I hope to share some recipes in the (nearish) future. However, this time, I’m going to share a chicken dish taught to me by my auntie. It’s an Italian-style breaded chicken recipe she learned from her Polish MIL. I realize to most, breaded chicken doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but the beauty is in its simplicity, versatility and supertastic deliciousness. Throw in the fact that I’ve never seen my auntie cook or eat anything besides Thai food, so this was a really nice surprise!


Italian-style breaded chicken (aka chicken parmesan)
Feeds 3 to 4
  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • ½ grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 to 2 eggs, beaten
  • oil for pan-frying
  • 2 cups of your favorite marinara, warmed
  • a handful of shredded mozzarella (or shredded Parmesan)to top
In a deep plate or pie dish, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic and onion powders. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Butterfly the chicken breasts to get 4 pieces. Pound each piece thin (think scaloppini or paillard).

In a large bowl, mix the chicken, eggs and a pinch of salt.

Warm enough oil (about 1 inch or so) in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, dredge the chicken pieces in the bread crumb mix, make sure they are coated well and add them to the frying pan. Don’t crowd the frying pan otherwise the chicken will end up extra greasy (NOT yummy!). Flip over once, and when they are done remove to a paper towel or rack above a cook sheet (my preference).

Serve Olive Garden-style (hey, don’t laugh! That was THE Italian restaurant in Vegas until about 1999…no kidding) ladled with warmed marinara and mozzarella sprinkled on top and a big bowl of spaghetti. Or eat it like my Auntie does, sans marinara, with rice and chili dipping sauce. For realz.


Now that you've read so far, you get to see cool pics of the Vegas crew!

Baby brother. I freely admit he got the looks and I got the brains :-)

The Three Stooges, better known as Moody, Tweeny and Whiny (from left to right). Whiny's mine; the other two are his cousins.

Mom and Auntie acting like tourists. Oh, right! They are tourists.

14 comments:

Manggy said...

Yep, chicken parmigiana is my go-to when I'm too stressed out to think of what to eat ;) I love that it's your kid that's whiny, heh heh :)

QGIRL said...

Yum, I'll have to try this recipe for my hubby, it is right up his alley.
Sonny is getting so big! Was it hard for him to share the spotlight with two other children - especially girls!
p.s. I haven't been in the mood to shop, cook or clean either. nothing appeals to me these days. no appetite, I suppose.

dp said...

manggy, isn't it surprising fast to throw together when you have all the ingredients? I had marinara in my freezer so the entire meal too about 30 minutes to throw together!

qgirl, Sonny loved having his cousins around. They both enjoy being outside so it was perfect. They never seemed to get tired of shooting hoops, playing tag and racing around. He's totally got a cousin crush on the oldest and was so so sad when they left.

Aren't you in the homestretch? Just a couple more months? I remember the last couple months I was never in the mood for anything. If it didn't involve lounging and reading a book, it was too much work! About 3 wks before I was due, I asked my OB to induce me. She thought I was joking. Sonny was born the week after, so 2 wks early, and he was 9 lbs!! If he'd waited those two weeks, I don't think I could have pushed him out.

QGIRL said...

I have 5 weeks left and I'll be surprise if I don't deliver early. I don't think this one will be as big as his brothers (9 lbs and 8 lbs) but you never know.
I am definitely ready not to be pregnant anymore! August is going to be brutal.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Loved to meet your Mom and Aunt. How your boy has grown! It sounds as though everyone had a great time.

Anonymous said...

Mmm, looks great. I'm assuming 1/2 cup parmesan - the recipe just says "1/2 parmesan"

Langdon Cook said...

I love recipes like this--simple and satisfying. Always interesting when the tourists...err...family is in town!

momgateway said...

Reunions are always fun but draining. Looks like the kids bonded. That's good. Did your mom bring you some kaffir lime cuttings?

dp said...

Anon, thanks for catching that!

Mary, it was nice, but it's even nice with a little peace and quiet :-)

LC, nothing screams TOURIST! like a camcorder glued to your face. And did you notice she's the only one wearing a jacket ? Cuz anything below 70 is too cold for her. haha!

momgateway, no she didn't, darnit! But she did bring me a gallon-sized Ziploc full of leaves. And a bigger, better mortar!

Jeff said...

I like the chili dipping sauce idea a lot.

I feel like a tourist in my own town half the time as I wander around with a camera around my neck.

Sounds like a great time!

Dee said...

Jeff, I actually prefer it served with the rice and dipping sauce. That's my Asian trash side. Maybe you've got Asian trash in you too :-)

Thip said...

It's nice to have family visit sometimes. My family is in Bangkok--too far for them to travel. I usually visit them once a year though.
You know I forgot that Vegas has others neighborhood that people live normal life there too. :)

Unknown said...

Your chicken looks delicious! Fun pics too

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