Chicken Parma

chicken breasts
all-purpose flour
breadcrumbs (not panko)
eggs
parmigiano reggiano
mozzarella
whole or diced canned tomatoes
tomato paste (optional)
ham
basil, thyme or rosemary
  1. Prepare the marinara sauce: Blend drained canned tomatoes with a splash of olive oil, a pinch of salt and optionally a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to thicken it. Add some herbs and whiz again briefly to combine. Basil, thyme or maybe even rosemary. Don’t go overboard.
  2. Prepare crumbs
    • Whisk a couple eggs in a bowl and add salt and pepper.
    • Mix bread crumbs with salt, pepper and some parmigiano reggiano finely grated with a microplane grater
  3. Half-fill a large heavy pot with canola oil. Heat to approximately 190°c (375°f). Give the oil around 30 minutes to heat up. If you don’t have a frying thermometer, check the temperature regularly with an instant-read thermometer.
  4. Pre-heat oven to 150°c (300°f).
  5. Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or baking paper. Gently hit the thickest part of the breast with a rolling pin or mallet until the breast is an even thickness.
  6. Lightly dust each chicken breast with flour.
  7. One by one dip the chicken breasts in the egg then crumbs.
  8. Deep fry chicken in batches—a couple at a time—until golden. Don’t worry about cooking it through, just get it golden brown.
  9. Put cooked chicken in a roasting pan, cover with tomato sauce, a slice of ham and a couple slices of mozzarella. Grate more parmigiano reggiano over the top.
  10. Bake until chicken is cooked through then switch the oven to grill/broil to fully melt and slightly brown the cheese.
  11. Serve with a shitty side salad on a bed of chips.