Soulful Chicken Parmigiana

Soulful Chicken Parmigiana

This is my second attempt on Chicken Parmi, this time i use my own homemade tomato paste ;)


Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 medium peeled onion, finely chopped
2 large peeled and crushed garlic cloves
400g tomatoes (can crushed/diced)
1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, firmly packed
Salt and pepper to taste

Crumbed Chicken
400g skinless chicken breast
2 eggs
1 tbs milk
About 1/3 cup plain flour
About 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (i use my homemade breadcrumbs by grinding the days old bread)
About 1/2 cup oil, for frying

Cheese Topping
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated tasty cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method:

For Tomato sauce

1.Heat oil in a heavy-based medium saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until onion has softened but not browned.

3. Add tomatoes, mixed herbs and brown sugar, increase heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 35-40 mins, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reached the desired thickness.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for 10 minutes.

5. Blend the puree sauce in a blender or food processor.

For Crumbed Chicken

1. Cut the chicken breast into half horizontally.

2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl.

3. Coat one piece of chicken in flour and shake to remove excess follow by dipping the chicken into the egg and milk mixture make sure the flour is well coated by the egg and milk mixture.

4. Then coat the chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to ensure crumbs well adhered. Do the same to the rest of the chicken breast.

5. Now is to fry the chicken, heat some of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat, fry the chicken in a single layer, without overcrowding the pan, until golden brown and cooked through. (depending on how big the size is your skillet, you will probably need to do it in a few batches.)

6. Drain the fried chicken on paper towel.

To bake

1. Pre-heat oven at 180 to 200C

2. Place the fried chicken in a large baking dish and spread with sauce and sprinkle with combined cheeses.(do not spread the sauce and cheese up to the edge of the chicken, make sure you leave about a 5mm of the edge to give allowance for the cheese to melt)

3. Bake at for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.

4. Sprinkle the chicken parmigiana with chopped parsley before serving.