Chicken Parmesan with Creamy Polenta
Chicken Parmesan with Creamy Polenta is classic Italian-American comfort food. This is a dish that is on frequent rotation at our house, although the chicken sometimes ends up in a sandwich or in a calzone. I feel that my recipe is a bit unique in several ways. First of all, I add lots of fresh herbs and garlic to my breading, which imparts fantastic flavor. Second of all, I bake my polenta in the oven, so there is no stirring involved. The polenta cooks all by itself while I make the chicken.
The Equipment You’ll Need
- A Cast Iron Skillet- I feel this is the best vessel for frying chicken.
- A Dutch Oven- This is the only pot for making my homemade tomato sauce.
- A Meat Pounder- You’ll need this to get nice, even and thin chicken cutlets. If you don’t have one, use a rolling pin.
- A Food Processor- This is helpful for mincing the garlic and herbs.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for Chicken Parmesan with Creamy Polenta
- Chicken- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Strained Tomatoes- I really like the Pomi brand, since they are salt and acid free.
- Chicken Stock- I always use homemade. The recipe is below.
- Plain Breadcrumbs- I like the 4C brand.
- Polenta- I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
How I Made This Dish
- First, I made the polenta. There was nothing to this, as the polenta cooks itself in the oven.
- Then, while the polenta baked, I made the tomato sauce. I let this simmer away while I fried the chicken.
- Next, I set up the dredging bowls for the chicken. This is messy, but easy.
- Then, I fried the chicken, two cutlets at a time.
- Finally, I topped the chicken with sauce and cheese and baked it until the cheese melted.
Of all the dishes I make, this Chicken Parmesan with Creamy Polenta is one of my favorite meals. For one thing, it’s easy enough to keep the ingredients around for making this dish. Also, it’s fairly inexpensive to prepare. So, if you like crispy, cheesy chicken, I hope you’ll try this dish soon.
Chicken Parmesan with Creamy Polenta
Classic chicken Parmesan paired with oven baked polenta.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarse polenta
- 2½ tsp. kosher salt
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 box Pomi strained tomatoes
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 cups plain dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp. each minced fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 sliced plum tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- For the polenta: In a large ceramic baking dish mix together the polenta with 4 cups of water and a teaspoon and a half of kosher salt. Cover with foil and bake for forty five minutes. Remove and stir in the butter, and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven heat the olive oil on low heat and add the tomatoes, one teaspoon of the garlic, sugar, a tablespoon of the oregano, chicken stock, a half teaspoon of the kosher salt, and a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Simmer while you fry the chicken.
- Split each breast in half, so that you have 4 thin cutlets. Using a meat pounder, pound them even thinner. Prepare a dredging station with three bowls: fill the first bowl with the flour and a quarter teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Fill the second bowl with the eggs. Fill the third bowl with the breadcrumbs, a quarter teaspoon each of the kosher salt and red pepper flakes, a tablespoon of the minced garlic, the herbs, and one cup of the Parmesan.
- Heat a cast iron skillet with a quarter inch of the vegetable oil on medium high heat. The oil is ready when a small piece of chicken sizzles immediately. Dip each piece of chicken in each of the three bowls- first flour, then eggs, and finally breadcrumbs. Fry two cutlets at a time until they're golden brown on each side and cooked through. Drain the chicken on a wire rack over a baking dish.
- When all the chicken is cooked. Top them with a spoonful of sauce ( you can freeze the rest of the sauce). Then sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Top the chicken with sliced tomatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 450kcal
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Chicken Stock
Homemade chicken stock
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs. chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
- 10 cups water
- 2 peeled onions
- 2 peeled carrots
- 3 peeled parsley roots
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 peeled parsnip
- 2 tbsp. garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley and fresh dill
Instructions
- Put the chicken and the salt in a large, tall pot and cover with ten cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
