Crusted Parmesan Chicken

So I decided it's probably about time I added another dinner recipe, to show that once in awhile I cook something other than dessert...I took this one from the Barefoot Contessa. I tried it for the first time just recently, but my husband requested it again the very next week. That's rare, so I took it as a sign that this one is a keeper. It's cooked in a little butter and olive oil, but not a lot, so I've decided it's good for us. :)

I will list the recipe as it's written. For us, I cut one chicken breast in half for the two of us, so obviously I reduced all the other ingredients by quite a bit. I estimated instead of really measuring, and it still turned out great. Her recipe calls for serving the chicken with salad greens on top, but I served it with pasta or rice and veggies on the side.

I'll make a confession. I know chicken is really basic and should be easy to cook. However, I get nervous cooking chicken sometimes, because I'm paranoid about under cooking it, but it's terrible when it's over-cooked and dry. I lucked out with this one; it turned out ok both times. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of it? ( I think pounding the chicken so it's an even thickness throughout really helps.)


Okay, on to the recipe:

Crusted Parmesan Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs (I'm sure large would be just fine)
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter (I used salted)
Good olive oil

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch thick. (Mine was a little thicker than this. I also cut mine in half after pounding it.) You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin. (You can pound the chicken between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.)

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 Tbsp. of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into and egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. (Mine took a little longer.) Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Serve with extra grated Parmesan. (She notes that while you're cooking the rest of the chicken, you can keep the others warm for about 15 minutes on a sheet pan in a 200-degree oven.)