Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Rustic Tomato Pasta

When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore! Speaking of amore, I love Italian food. Okay, sure, this recipe isn't exactly winning any awards over Italian ingredient zealots. But, dammit, there's nothing I love more than a pan-fried, shatteringly crispy, Parmesan Crusted Chicken with slowly simmered, rustic tomato sauce over pasta.

---

Jump to Recipe

---

Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Rustic Tomato Pasta

---

Equipment

Wire rack, Large heavy-bottomed pot, Wooden spoon, Large heavy-bottomed skillet (9-12 inch), Tongs, Cutting board, Measuring cups

---

YIELD:

Serves 4-6 people

ACTIVE COOKING TIME:

1 hour

TOTAL TIME:

2 and 30 minutes

---

Section 1: Ingredients

Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

• 3 large, boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 2 ½ cups (220g) grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese + some for serving

• 2 cups (300g) of all-purpose flour

• 4 large eggs + a splash of water

• 2 ½ cups (220g) of Panko Breadcrumbs

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Salt, to taste

• 2 cups vegetable or canola oil (for frying)

Tomato Pasta:

• 7 cups (1600g) high-quality canned whole peeled tomatoes

• 1 medium carrot, finely diced

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

• 3 tbsp. tomato paste

• 1 tsp. dried oregano

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

• 4 tbsp. butter

• 4 medium cloves garlic, roughly minced

• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 or 2 large stems fresh basil

• 1 parmesan rind (optional)

• 1 tbsp. fish sauce (optional)

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Salt, to taste

• 1 tsp. dried thyme

• 1 tsp. dried marjoram

• 1 tsp. dried rosemary

• Chopped basil or parsley (optional)

• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter

• 410g (1 box) boxed spaghetti

---

Section 2: Directions

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Prepping your chicken

1. Place a boneless, skinless chicken breast, on a cutting board, and hold it flat with the palm of your other hand.

2. With a sharp chef's or filet knife, begin slicing the chicken breast horizontally, starting from the thicker end, in clean even strokes. Make sure to avoid sawing back and forth as it will create jagged edges.

3. Working one piece at a time, place the halved chicken breast between layers of plastic wrap and spread the plastic out tight to avoid wrinkles, which can leave imprints on the meat's surface.

4. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a sturdy skillet, gently pound the chicken to coax the chicken into a flat and even shape. When finished, the chicken should be ¼-inch in thickness.

5. Season the prepared chicken with any desired seasonings and let sit covered in the fridge for an hour or up to a day.

Frying Process

1. Heat your oil in a large 9-12 inch, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it registers 375°F to 400°F.

2. Prepare your breading station by putting your eggs, flour and Panko breadcrumbs individually in three large, shallow trays.

3. Season flour to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together until evenly distributed.

4. Season eggs to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and beat together with a splash of water until homogenous.

5. Add grated Parmesan or Pecorino into the Panko breadcrumbs along with some freshly ground black pepper. Mix until the cheese and pepper is evenly dispersed. Do not add anymore salt (unless needed) as the cheese is already salty enough, adjust seasoning to taste.

6. Working with one piece of chicken breast at a time, coat your chicken evenly in the flour in both sides, shake off any excess, and add to the egg mixture.

7. Fully coat the chicken breast in the egg mixture, letting excess drip off, and add to the Panko breadcrumb mixture.

8. Pile your Panko breadcrumbs on top and pressing down firmly so no wet spots remains and an even layer adheres on both sides.

9. Transfer chicken to a sheet tray with a bit of Panko breadcrumbs and repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Do not stack the chicken breasts on top of one another.

10. Working in batches, carefully add chicken by lowering the chicken breasts away from you into the oil. Add as many cutlets as will fit in one layer (2 to 3). Turn the heat down if the chicken starts browning too quickly

11. Fry until chicken is golden-brown and crisp on bottom side, about 2 minutes.

12. Using tongs, carefully flip chicken and fry until the meat registers 165°F in the centre with an instant-read thermometer or until golden brown.

13. Transfer chicken to a paper-towel lined plate or cooling rack to drain and repeat with remaining chicken.

Tomato Pasta

Tomato Sauce

1. Heat ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot until the oil starts shimmering.

2. Add in the diced onion and diced carrots and sauté until it picked up a bit of colour and is translucent.

3. Add in roughly minced garlic and cook until softened and fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes.

4. Add tomato paste and let it fry for 1 minute in the oil until it removes its tart flavour and becomes sweet and complex down the line.

5. Lower to medium low heat. Add in crushed red pepper, dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

6. Add in canned tomatoes, basil stems, parmesan rind, and fish sauce (optional).

7. Stir to incorporate and bring down the heat until a bare simmer is reached.

8. Simmer for 60-90 minutes or until it's reduced and has become slightly thick. Remember to stir occasionally every 10-15 minutes to make sure nothing burns in the bottom of the pot.

9. Reduce heat if the sauce is bubbling too rapidly. Taste sauce until it's rich, tangy and sweet.

10. If the sauce is too thick, add extra crushed tomatoes or water until desired consistency is achieved.

11. After the sauce is to your liking, turn off the heat and using tongs, discard the spent parmesan rind and basil stems.

12. Add in the unsalted butter and stir until it has fully melted and incorporated into the sauce.

13. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Along with some freshly minced herbs or additional seasoning if desired.

Pasta Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.

2. Add pasta of choice (I used homemade egg pasta) to the pot and stirring gently.

3. Cook the pasta according to the packet's instructions or until noodles are al dente.

4. Reserve at least a cupful of the pasta water and set aside.

5. Drain noodles and add back the noodles to a medium-low pan.

6. Toss with tomato sauce, a tablespoon of unsalted butter, and a splash of pasta water until desired consistency is achieved.

7. Optional: Garnish with minced basil or parsley.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Author's Note: In this picture I used homemade fettucine egg pasta. Want an easy-peasy recipe? Click here!

---

Storage

• Keep cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to five days. To reheat pasta, Add a little water to a microwave safe container or bowl. Zap for 30-60 seconds, remove, stir well, zap again, and repeat until well heated.

• To reheat chicken leftovers, place in an oven or toaster oven preheated to 400°F. Leave it to reheat for 10-15 minutes or until crispy and hot again.

---

Have any questions? Comment down below!