July 17, 2020

Chicken Romano and Mozzarella Tomato Stacks

Chicken Romano and Mozzarella Tomato Stacks are tasty towers of crunchy chicken, juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and red peppers and olives all drizzled with a basil balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The Romano cheese that crust these cutlets, gives the chicken fantastic flavor, and the tangy vinaigrette really wakes up the taste buds.

The Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

A meat mallet- This is helpful for pounding out your chicken. Pounding the chicken ensures that it is of even thickness, so it all cooks at the same speed. If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can use a rolling pin, or heavy skillet.
A cast iron skillet- I think this does the best job of frying chicken cutlets. But, any heavy skillet will do.
A food processor- This is the easiest way to create a smooth vinaigrette. But, you could also stir the ingredients in a bowl, or shake them in a jar.

The Ingredients for Chicken Romano and Mozzarella Tomato Stacks

The Romano Cheese- This cheese is the star of the dish. It’s like Parmesan cheese on steroids. However, if you’re cooking for small children or delicate palates, you may want to use Parmesan cheese.
The Chicken- I like to buy breasts with the skin and bones, and cut out the cutlet myself. That way I always have lots of chicken skin and bones waiting in the freezer to make chicken stock any time I need it.
The Breadcrumbs- I used to be able to buy crumbs from a local Italian market. But, since the pandemic started, and I’m limiting my grocery trips, I now buy big cannisters of 4C Plain Breadcrumbs. And, then I season the crumbs myself.

How I Made this Dish

First, I roasted the peppers. While the peppers roasted I got all the other ingredients prepared for cooking. I also made the vinaigrette.
Next, I fried the chicken.
Finally, I assembled the chicken stacks. And, then I drizzled them with the vinaigrette.
I served this dish on top of linguini tossed with Pomodoro Sauce. The recipe for the Pomodoro Sauce is included in my Parmesan Ravioli post.
Along side the stacks I also served green beans tossed with roasted peppers and topped with some more Romano cheese.

One of the things I love about this dish is that the components can be broken down and served to picky eaters. For small children, I might make them little plates of the cubed chicken, chunks of mozzarella, shavings of Romano cheese, strips of roasted peppers, and slices of the olives. But, for adventurous eaters, the combination of all these things stacked together is a perfect feast, for the eyes, as well as, the taste buds.

Chicken Romano and Mozzarella Tomato Stacks

Crispy, Romano cheese crusted chicken cutlets with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, olives, and tomatoes.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Ingredients

2 red peppers
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 beaten eggs
2 cups plain, dried breadcrumbs
2 cups grated Romano cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup vegetable oil
½ pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
8 sliced olives

For the Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ cup roasted peppers
2 tbsp. fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. honey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and roast them for 60 minutes.
Peel the peppers, and remove their seeds. Cut them into thin slices.
Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, place them between plastic sheets, one at a time, and pound them until they are about a ¼ inch thick. Season them with salt and pepper.
Prepare a dredging station. In the first bowl place the flour, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl place the eggs. In the third bowl, place the breadcrumbs, cheese, and spices.
Fill a cast iron skillet with a ¼ inch of vegetable oil, heated on high heat. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. The oil is hot when a small piece of chicken sizzles immediately when placed in the oil. Fry the chicken until it is golden, on each side, and cooked through.
Drain the cooked chicken on a wire rack.
In a food processor, mix the vinaigrette ingredients.
To serve the chicken, top it with tomato slices, mozzarella, roasted peppers, and olives. Then, drizzle some vinaigrette on top. Serve the chicken on top of spaghetti tossed with pomodoro sauce.