Delicious Reading: Chicken Parmesan and “Foolproof Living”

I recently heard about a story in “The New York Post” that reported chicken Parmesan is the perfect date food. On a date, you are usually trying to make a good first impression, so it seems counterintuitive to me to order a messy dish like chicken Parm. However, “The Post” article argued “chicken Parm season” falls during the colder months, which also happens to be when New York singles are looking to settle down and snuggle with someone. That makes more sense.

Brooke Clubbs

Just thinking about it made me want to prepare some for my family to enjoy on a cozy winter evening. Thinking about the ingredients, I also realized it should be a hit with even my picky eaters. I started looking for a recipe that might be a little less heavy than the pan-fried version that has been popularized at Italian American restaurants. Interesting fact: while eggplant Parmesan originated in southern Italy, the versions with chicken or veal were created by Italian immigrants, who were proud to be able to afford meat in America.

I found the healthy version of this dish on the blog foolproofliving.com. Blogger Aysegul (who goes by “Ice”), grew up in Turkey and remembers standing on a stool to help her mother cook. Now she resides in Manchester, Vermont, and is devoted to creating “foolproof” recipes for healthy comfort food. She promises, “I will never present any recipes to you that I haven’t thoroughly tested and refined in my own kitchen. I’m here to make your life easier, one recipe at a time!”

This recipe will make your life easier and cozier, too. And if it makes your partner feel amorous, well, maybe those New Yorkers are on to something.

Chicken Parmesan

(Adapted by Ice from America’s Test Kitchen’s “Lighter Chicken Parmesan”)

• 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 ounce (1/2 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 3 egg whites

• 1 tablespoon water

• Vegetable cooking spray

• 3 large, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets

• 3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

• One jar store-bought or the equivalent of homemade marinara sauce

• 16 ounces cooked spaghetti or other pasta of your choice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Place panko in large nonstick skillet with olive oil and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently for 9 to 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Arrange 3 shallow dishes side by side.

In the first shallow dish, mix flour, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.

In the second shallow dish, place the egg whites and water. Whisk until incorporated.

In the third shallow dish, stir in the Parmesan cheese with the now-cooled panko.

Pat dry each chicken cutlet with a paper towel.

Then, dredge the cutlets into flour and shake off the excess flour. Next, dip cutlets into egg whites. Lastly, coat with panko and Parmesan breadcrumbs. Press the panko mixture to coat. Place it on the wire rack.

Spray the top of each chicken cutlet with vegetable oil spray prior to placing in oven.

Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from oven. Place 2 tablespoons tomato sauce on each chicken cutlet and top it off with 2 tablespoons (or more) mozzarella cheese. Return it into the oven and cook until the cheese melts, for 5 more minutes.

To serve, sprinkle each chicken cutlet with ribbons of basil and Parmesan cheese.

I serve it on top of spaghetti or other pasta.