Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken

This second breaded chicken dish is one of Ina Garten’s favorite weeknight meals, second only to roasted chicken. It has a wonderful balance between the crispy meat and lemony greens. We loved it!

The recipe was adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten, via Barefoot Contessa.com. I substituted a combination of boneless chicken thighs and legs for chicken breasts, of course. 😉 I also used large eggs and modified the proportions in the dressing as well as the presentation. We ate it with roasted asparagus and rice. It was an absolute crowd-pleaser.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

For the Lemon Vinaigrette:

Yield: Makes 3/4 Cup

• 4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
• 6 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Reserve.

For the Parmesan Chicken & To Serve:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and 7 boneless skinless chicken legs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
• 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)
• 2 T unsalted butter, divided (I used 1 T per batch)
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided (I used 1 T per batch)
• salad greens
• lemon vinaigrette (recipe above)

1. Pound the chicken meat between 2 layers of plastic wrap, to 1/4 inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
2. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate or in a glass pie dish.
3. On a second plate or dish, beat the eggs and egg white with 1 tablespoon of water.
4. On a third plate or dish, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
5. Coat the chicken on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread crumb and cheese mixture, pressing lightly.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan (I used a 14-inch skillet) and cook 3 to 6 pieces of chicken, depending on size, on medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through, 165 degrees in the center.
7. Lightly salt the hot chicken after removing it from the pan. Place in a warm oven or warming drawer while cooking the next batch.
8. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken as above. (I cooked the chicken in 2 batches.)
9. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette.
10. Place a mound of salad on the center of each individual plate and top with extra Parmesan and hot chicken. (I used shaved Parmesan as topping and sliced the chicken.) Serve.