It’s been a challenging year for the garden – but then really, what year isn’t? It’s always something – too much rain or too little, a plague of leaf-chewing beetles or root-chewing voles, the squirrel that has to take one bite out of every tomato on the vine in order to confirm for himself that no, he really doesn’t like tomatoes. But the little victories are enough to keep us going. This year that infuriating squirrel has been off causing trouble somewhere else, and we weathered the drought by catching rainwater in a barrel and schlepping it up the hill to the garden two buckets at a time. Our reward is a spectacular crop of tomatoes that just keeps on coming.
I put in too many plants of course – only two of us here, and these days it’s not as easy to pass the extras off to friends and family. We’ve had the BLTs, and tomatoes every which way in salad (such as this main dish Caprese Salad) and on pizza – but with this many tomatoes I’ve had to get creative. Which is what led to this fresh take on Chicken Parmesan.
Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Summer Tomatoes starts exactly the same way as a the familiar version, with a thinly-pounded, lightly breaded, pan-fried chicken cutlet. But while I do love a classic Chicken Parmesan, it’s too heavy for summer, with its marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, and its requisite side of pasta. I was trying to think of a way to use fresh garden tomatoes as a light and brightly-flavored alternative to marinara, and here it is.
The chicken is tender and moist inside its crispy Parmesan-breadcrumb crust. Spooned on top is a fresh tomato “sauce” that’s really more like a salad – this is no garnish. These tomatoes are the star of the dish, juicy fresh and sweet, lightly dressed in a red wine vinaigrette with garlic and, of course, basil.
While not strictly necessary, it makes the dish much prettier if you use a variety of tomatoes in different colors, shapes and sizes.
I know I haven’t shared a recipe for classic Chicken Parmesan yet, so it’s kind of no fair to refer to it here. Come Fall I’ll do a post for a true Chicken Parmesan (or veal, which uses the same technique), but with this post you’re already getting the hang of prepping and cooking the cutlets, so we’re at least halfway there.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- You can flatten the chicken and dredge it in the seasoned flour several hours or up to a day ahead. If you’re going to keep it for more than a few hours, cover the chicken with plastic wrap.
- The tomato salad needs to marinate for about an hour, but should not be made much further ahead than that, and the toasted bread cannot be made ahead. It’s best to cook the chicken right before serving, too, but if you need to, you can pan-fry the chicken up to an hour ahead, then transfer it to a foil-lined sheet and keep it uncovered at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425. About 10 minutes before serving, start toasting the bread as described in the recipe. Add the pan with the chicken to the oven at the same time as the bread, and let it heat for 5 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until the coating on the chicken is crispy and sizzling.
- Leftover chicken will keep for a few days and can be reheated in a 350-degree oven, or the microwave. Neither the tomato salad nor the toast will keep; if you know you’re not going to eat all the chicken on the first day, make just enough salad and toast for the amount of chicken you’ll be serving, and make fresh salad and toast the next day to serve with the leftovers.
- The day after I made this chicken for this post, we had the leftover chicken and a spoonful of freshly-made tomato salad on a bun for a fantastic (if drippy) take on a Chicken Parmesan sandwich. The leftover chicken would also be great (cold or reheated) sliced and tossed into a salad.
Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Summer Tomatoes
Start at least a couple of hours ahead.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoons Morton’s), plus additional
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts, or chicken cutlets (1 1/3 to 1½ pounds total)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups halved, quartered or chunked fresh tomatoes, depending on their size, (ideally different colors and varieties)
- 3 tablespoons julienned fresh basil and 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- Neutral oil, such as expeller-pressed canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ cups plain dry breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 thick slices of ciabatta or other crusty bread
Directions
- Step 1 Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a large plate.
- Step 2 If you’re using boneless breasts (as opposed to cutlets that are already thinly sliced by the butcher), flatten them. First place each breast piece on your work surface and, holding a sharp knife parallel to the work surface, slice each breast in half through its thickness into two thinner pieces. Sprinkle the work surface with some of the seasoned flour. Lay one piece of chicken into the seasoned flour on the plate, coating both sides. Move it to the floured cutting board, put a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken, and pound it with a meat mallet until it’s flattened to a uniform thickness, between ¼- and ½-inch. Dip the piece of chicken back in the seasoned flour, coating both sides again, and move it to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken. Chill the coated chicken, uncovered, for one hour or up to several hours. Reserve the remaining seasoned flour for later.
- Step 3 If you’ve prepped the chicken further ahead than one hour, wait until one hour before cooking to start marinating the tomatoes. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and generous pinches of kosher salt and pepper. Toss in the tomatoes and the 3 tablespoons of julienned basil. Set the tomatoes aside at room temperature to marinate while the chicken chills.
- Step 4 When you’re ready to start cooking, heat the oven to 425 degrees on the Roast setting. Heat a large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to reach a depth of ½-inch. Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. Line a second, smaller baking sheet with foil.
- Step 5 Beat the eggs in a large, shallow bowl. In another large shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and chopped basil.
- Step 6 When the oil is hot, start cooking the chicken. Dredge both sides of one piece of chicken in the reserved seasoned flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture. Carefully slide the piece of chicken into the hot oil. If you’re using large boneless breasts that have been pounded flat, you’ll probably only be able to fit one piece at a time in the skillet. If you’re using smaller cutlets, coat and add as many pieces as will fit in the skillet in a single layer without crowding. Cook the chicken until it’s brown on the bottom, 2 or 3 minutes. Using tongs, gently turn the chicken and cook the other side until both sides are brown and the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 additional minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. Remove the chicken to the paper-towel lined baking sheet and cover the sheet loosely with foil to keep the chicken warm. Repeat to cook all the chicken. You may not use all of the bread coating.
- Step 7 While the chicken is cooking, make the toast. Gently push the tomatoes aside with a large spoon to expose the marinade at the bottom of the bowl. Spoon about half of the marinade out onto a plate. Dip both sides of each piece of bread in the marinade, smooshing it around to coat the bread and absorb the oil and juices. Transfer the bread to the smaller, foil-lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and toast the bread, turning once, until both sides are crusty and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes total.
- Step 8 Divide the chicken among four plates. Sprinkle the chicken with a little more kosher salt. Spoon the tomato salad over the chicken and tuck a piece of the toast alongside each serving.
