Wondering why your homemade chicken parmesan doesn't have the same sizzle as it would at a
restaurant? We asked Chef Brandon Boudet of Little Dom's in Los Angeles and Chef Chris Curtis of the
dining chain North Italia for their tips and tricks to help make your next family dinner truly pop
To prepare a chicken parmesan in line with the iconic Italian eateries
you've got to start by pounding out the poultry. As Chef Curtis points to using his own kitchen as
an example. We flatten and tenderize the chicken breasts so that when they are cooked, the chicken
cooks evenly and it is very tender. How flat are we talking? The solution isn't to Hulk smash the
pieces into a skimpy rag so your breadcrumbs won't cling to the chicken. If you do that
the meat will be bone dry when you end up frying your cutlets. Instead, simply hammer down the
chicken with your instrument, like a pounding mallet or a rolling pin, which will ensure your
cutlets maintain a uniform thickness. Not all recipes for chicken parm call for proper tenderization
but if your goal is constructing a plate worthy of a Michelin star, you'll want to get punching
That'll allow your chicken breast to be perfectly cooked, with a texture that no one will be able to resist
Chicken isn't vegan? When the time comes to prepare the breading for your chicken parmesan
you don't have to bake an entire loaf yourself just to turn it into crumbs
It's totally acceptable to buy breadcrumbs pre-made at the supermarket, but steer clear of the varieties that come pre-seasoned
Breadcrumbs manufactured with the spices included are harder to adjust, since you're stuck with whatever proportions are mixed into the container. The flavor may be
stale or muted, robbing your coating of the vibrancy you get from freshly shaken herbs
That's why applying the seasoning with your own two hands will lend your chicken parmesan a more
authentic flair, in tune with professional chefs. Chef Boudet advises home cooks
instead use a classic plain breadcrumb and season it yourself so you can achieve a fresher
cleaner flavor. Boudet's personal go-to blend favors Italian-style herbs such as oregano and
parsley, but he also likes to pair it with sharper notes found in grated Parmesan and lemon zest
Chef Curtis, on the other hand, is a fan of panko breadcrumbs for his coating. He cuts it with a
3 to 1 ratio of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano dashed with thyme and dried oregano
Cheese is the glue behind every chicken Parmesan on the planet. It's basically
non-negotiable. Stretching across the cutlet in a gooey, lightly toasted blanket, mozzarella is the variety that comes most suggested in cookbooks and online recipes
Surprisingly, the pros seem much less concerned with tradition, as our sources professed to
utilizing interesting blends in their renditions of the dish. To grate, a mix of cheeses draws out
varying degrees of sharpness, saltiness, and textural flair, giving even the simplest recipes
a boost of complexity Under Chef Boudet watch at Little Dom hard Italian cheeses mingle with softer counterparts His preferred mixture We use a mixture of aged provolone fresh mozzarella and grana padano or parmigiano Alternately
Chef Curtis enjoys rotating between provolone, mozzarella, and fontina. There's no problem with
sticking to the default, but at upscale dining rooms, experimentation with various combos happens
more frequently than you might think. You might find that specialty shops or even the import
section of your supermarket's cheese counter holds the answer for a transcendent chicken parm
Tomato sauce is delicious, and a good chicken parmesan knows how to put it to use
You don't want to add too much, since the chicken's coating is meant to stay intact
Glopping it on causes it to soak into the crust, which in turn makes the crunchy exterior mealy and
mushy. As a result, you won't find many experts admitting to heavily drenching their cutlets
Restraint is key amongst elite professionals, Chef Curtis instructs. Only top the chicken with a small layer of hot marinara, then top with the cheese
That advice certainly defies the comically sloppy plates you'll find at some locations
"...Let me play this record while I go to work on my chicken parmigiana hero
with extra cheese and extra sissa sauce." Practically speaking, hand-breading and frying pieces of chicken takes a lot of labor
All that effort could be washed away by pouring on the marinara, as tasty as it might be
From a pro's perspective, lightly spreading the sauce brings out the satisfying mouthfeel
without sacrificing your efforts. This approach is one that Chef Boudet abides by as well
His technique aims to make the sauce a complementary element to the chicken. As he put it
"...we add a small amount of sauce to the bottom of the plate and then cover about a third or half
of the chicken with sauce so that it's not drowning." A light saucing hand not only imbues
elegance to your plate, it also mixes up the textural sensations you receive in every morsel
About that sauce, there's an ingredient you might be sleeping on that world-class
dining establishments embrace when firing up the stove? Cheese. Preparing the menu item at
Little Doms involves spiking the sauce with leftover shreds. According to Chef Boudet
it's a useful trick that levels up its consistency and character. In his words
"...we add and whisk in some of the cheese that's used on top of the chicken to the sauce mixture
which adds a little richness to it. You don't have to add a lot, just enough to add some fat
and body to the sauce." From a practical standpoint, stirring cheese into the sauce
is a great flavor-enhancing tactic, you'll find that the same sharp, salty notes of the
cheese topping swirl throughout the marinara, infusing every bite. Due to the presence of
fats mingling together with the starchy breadcrumbs, the cheese ticks on the roll as a thickening
agent, further emulsifying the mixture. Marinara sauce is just one element of chicken parm
but it's an important one. It's clear that cheese, or most dairy really, is the key to
amplifying the flavor. When it comes to chicken parmesan, the right oil for the job will lend
good texture and a golden hue to your main course You can count on many Italian joints to sizzle olive oil thanks to its decent smoke point for frying and general versatility As Chef Boudet says
I'd recommend using a neutral olive oil like Palmer's. You don't want anything flavored
Alternative oils like avocado oil aren't the best for sauteing. Likewise, New York restaurateur Mario Carbone is also a proponent of this variety
but he believes in opting for a premium bottle to elevate the quality. As he explains in a video
created for his dining concept, Carbone Fine Food, I try not to skimp on the olive oil even when cooking. I still use a pretty nice product
I do believe it affects the flavor of it all, so moral of the story, don't be cheap with the grease
Sataying some chicken breast for yourself at home won't command the same amount of grease
as a full-sized dining operation. Granted that while Chef Curtis manages almost 40 dining spaces
under the North Italia banner, his advice for home cooks is tailored with these circumstances
in mind. He says, Even when it has a perfectly golden-browned coating, chicken parmesan isn't that similar
to the type of fried chicken you might find at KFC or Popeyes. Nevertheless, the process of
readying your fillets for frying may benefit from a process reserved for southern poultry
which might surprise fans of the Italian comfort food. Using buttermilk. Buttermilk brining can increase the tenderness of your chicken
Thanks to the live cultures and acids the dairy byproduct produces, your meat will foster a juicy, succulent profile
Those rich fats in the buttermilk also help breadcrumbs stick, which is absolutely necessary for any piece of chicken seared in oil
Understandably, amateurs may be intimidated by this step, but if you have leftover buttermilk in your fridge anyway
the choice to marinade comes recommended, given that it ensures that the chicken's moisture is locked in
As a bonus, it results in an intensified flavor, thanks to the buttermilk's sour disposition
Chef Boudet is one person who swears by this tip. His restaurant has integrated
buttermilk into their chicken parm as a matter of routine. If you're expecting that the meat
would have to sit for a whole day, Boudet claims that it's a much more manageable wait time. He revealed
We let the chicken breast brine for about one to two hours before we bread and fry it
In any upscale setting, highly trained chefs can be expected to adhere to numerous procedures
Professionals can clearly afford some discretion when it comes to cheese or seasonings. Other
aspects of the classic chicken parm recipe aren't equally flexible. For breading the chicken
it's necessary to master the three-step plan. Chef Curtis provides an outline of the typical
format, ingredients and utensils included, for coating your meat. As he describes
you will need three separate bowls to bread the chicken First you will need an egg wash which is whole eggs whisked together with a splash of milk Second all flour seasoned with a few pinches of salt and a little fresh ground black pepper Third the seasoned panko mixture All of this is assuming you plan to grace your table immediately
with cooked-to-perfection parm. But in the case of crossing off this step early and, say
storing the cutlets in the fridge before heating up the pan later, Chef Boudet offers a solid pointer to help those crumbs stay crispy. He advises
If you bread your chicken ahead of time, I recommend adding some extra breadcrumbs on top
right before pan frying it. Frying is likely the step amateur cooks get the most stressed about, and with good reason
You want moist chicken with an oh-so-crunchy breadcrumb coating, but the paranoia of undercooking it could lead one to accidentally dry it out instead
The only way to work around this, professionals say, is cooking the chicken very quickly
Because the meat has been flattened prior to hitting the stove, less time will be needed overall in searing it all the way through. Simply keep the pace fast
by frying the meat until the surface is caramelized and fairly golden. On his show The F Word
Gordon Ramsay emphasizes that chicken parm should fry in a pinch, which he demonstrates
by keeping it in the pan for just five minutes. Two and a half minutes each side, you turn it once, once only
Related to this step, another rookie mistake you'll find the best chefs avoid is low oil
temperature. A tepid cooking oil won't brown chicken as efficiently, which leads to grease
seeping into the piece of poultry. Using a meat thermometer eliminates this guessing game completely
Not only can you use it as a traditional gauge for the chicken's internal temperature
but you can also check that the oil is ready to go for the main task. A lightning-fast speed and proper tools will produce a fantastic cutlet each time
Assembling your made-from-scratch chicken parmesan — that is, slapping on the sauce and cheese, requires a final blitz in the oven to warm over the toppings
That said, if kitchen novices want to take a cue from restaurateurs, they might consider going all out by finishing it under the broiler
Turning on this oven setting is a home run for a bubbly hot cheese pull
which is due to the direct source of heat focusing on just the surface rather than the
whole of the chicken. Chef Curtis has found that this technique gives the fried cutlet a nice char
saying, I would recommend broiling the chicken topped with sauce and cheese until the cheese is a
light golden brown. Admittedly, not all Italian eateries will opt for preparing it this way
Chef Boudet shuns broiling, preferring to oven bake his chicken until it is ready to serve
as he asserts, We bake instead of broiling. This helps avoid burning and helps the chicken bake on all sides
instead of just burning the cheese on top, which ultimately helps achieve crispiness
Torching the mozzarella may be a risk with broiling, but from another perspective
the fast timing also reduces overexposing your cutlet to the heat. Remember, your chicken is
already cooked. Melting everything down into oozy decadence is what you'll be striving for