Chicken Parmesan

 I am not a fan of cooking shows. But I am a fan of Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. I love her style of cooking! A week or so ago, I happened to be flipping through the channels and landed on her show. I could see by the heading that she was about to make Chicken Parmesan. I was like...okay? (Yes, I do speak Valley Girl.) Anyway, I was thinking, "Don't we all already have our own version of this dish?" I wasn't thinking I was going to be THIS wowed! I was wrong...

Right away I could see that this was a very special Chicken Parmesan. Not your old "stand by" covered in marinara. (Not that that version isn't incredible!) She did something so refreshing though, and topped hers with some arugula that had been tossed in a lemon vinaigrette. Joyness and Beauty! And I have a lemon tree that bears fruit year round! Even more joy!

I made this for dinner last night. HUGE HIT! Like I said, beautiful and refreshing! Definitely a "company worthy" dish. But, do something sweet for your family, make this for them on just any old day. Light some candles. Add a few slices of lemon to your ice water. Maybe even a glass of white wine. I will be making this fantastic dish over and over again. Thanks, Ina! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 large eggs

1 Tbs water

1 1/4 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

unsalted butter

olive oil

salad greens, enough for six servings (I used a spring mix)

1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, *recipe follows

Directions:

Pound the chicken between two sheets of wax or parchment paper with a mallet or rolling pin.Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate or shallow dish. On a second plate or shallow dish, beat the eggs with 1 Tbs of water. On a third plate or shallow dish, combine the breadcrumbs and the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. (Have them all set up in an assembly line style.) Coat the chicken on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides in the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly to coat completely.

Heat 1 Tbs of butter and 1 Tbs olive oil in a large saute pan. Cook 2 or 3 breasts at a time over med/low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes per side, until cooked through. 3 minutes per side for very thin breasts, 5 minutes per side for thicker ones. Add small (very small) amounts of oil and butter as needed as you cook the remaining breasts. Toss salad greens with your lemon vinaigrette. Place a handful or so of salad on top of each hot chicken breast. Serve with large shavings of Parmesan on top. Heavenly!

Lemon Vinaigrette:

The juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Whisk these ingredients together in a small bowl

LESLIE'S NOTES: Please do not let the size of this post fool you! This is one of the easier dishes I have recently made. How cinchy was that vinaigrette! My new favorite dish!

Adapted from a recipe by: The Barefoot Contessa