Happy quarantine day I-don’t-know-what-number! 44? 46? Regardless, I think we’re all open to new dinner ideas at this point and really looking forward to being able to go to restaurants again.

One thing that has made this quarantine a little easier is having access to yummy food and snacks, so I don’t miss going out too much. I’m thankful for a space I can make and create food, grocery stores, and for my mom who taught me so much about being in the kitchen.

But. That doesn’t mean some nights I don’t miss the ease of take out, especially the pizzeria behind my house, or being able to sit down in a nice space and then people bring you whatever you choose to eat in exchange for some money. Restaurants are so cool, you guys.

That’s where today’s Parmesan Pan-Fried Chicken comes into play. It’s easy, ready in 10-15 minutes, and so delicious. It’s no fuss, because there is no egg or flour breading. This also makes for a lighter fried chicken, just a thin, flavorful crust and not nearly as much guilt as traditional fried chicken. And less dishes to wash! All you need are some chicken breasts, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and parmesan cheese, plus a frying pan with a bit of butter.

I originally stumbled across this idea when making a chicken quinoa casserole, which uses a similar breading technique with the chicken: using simply a wet chicken breast before dipping in a breadcrumb mixture instead of the more common flour and egg battering. I thought, what happens if I do the same thing, but instead of putting it in the casserole, fry it in some butter? Well, this simple, delicious chicken was the result, and I’m happy to share the recipe with you today.

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A recipe by Jenny

Parmesan Pan-Fried Chicken

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.5 lbs / 680g

• 1/2 cup / 62g bread crumbs

• 1/4 cup / 25g grated parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• dash of pepper

• 2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Starting with one chicken breast, lay it flay on a cutting board. Slice horizontally starting from the thicker end, to end up with two thinner pieces of chicken breast. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

3. In a large frying pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Wet a chicken breast with water and press one side, then the other, into the bread crumb mixture. You can use your fingers to press on more of the mixture on areas that get missed. Place coated chicken into frying pan. Repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Cook on each side 5-7 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. Internal temperature should read at least 165°F / 75°C. If the chicken starts to darken too quickly, lower the temperature.

Jenny’s Notes:

• If your frying pan isn’t big enough to accomodate all of the chicken, you can cook it in batches, starting with less butter, and adding more between each batch of chicken.

• Here in Italy I always buy meat from our butcher, who slices chicken breasts horizontally so they are twice as thin as the chicken breasts you get at the store. While you can choose to keep your chicken breasts whole and bread and fry them that way, keep in mind you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly to cook the chicken through.

• You can use more butter for richer fried chicken, or less, for an even lighter fried chicken.