Tasty Eats | Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

It's been a while since I've done an actual recipe post and I'm excited to be sharing this one from my newest cookbook find- Happy Cooking. I skipped a few of the ingredients that I didn't think were pertinent to the recipe and it was just as tasty as the picture in the book! A couple reasons you need to try this. The first, it's a pretty impressive recipe just based on the prep alone (a little tough, but not impossible) - whoever you make it for will be mighty impressed! The second it's a great recipe to make with your significant other or a friend! Sure you could make it on your own, but it was a lot more fun prepping everything with Gary! 

What you'll need

1. 4 boneless chicken breasts - cut horizontally into 2 cutlets (yields 8)
2. 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3. ½ grated Parmesan cheese - plus 1/4 for garnish
4. 24 whole basil leaves
5. 1 cup all purpose flour
6. 3 large eggs
7. 2 cups bread crumbs
8. 1 cup grapeseed oil (I did not use this)
9. 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
10. 2 cups marinara sauce
11. ¼ cup chopped parsley (I did not use this)
12. Kosher Salt & Pepper 

Instructions

Place the chicken cutlets on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat millet, pound until it's about ¼ inch thick. 

This is where you are going to start to have a lot of plates - at least I did. Remove the plastic wrap and evenly season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Take 2 tablespoons of mozzarella & Parmesan and sprinkle on one side. Then you want to add basil leaves - depending on size about 2-3 on one side of the chicken. 

Roll the chicken up and secure with a toothpick. I'll admit this is probably the toughest part because the chicken is a bit slippery and all the cutlets are different sizes, so just take your time here! Once those are all set, place flour, eggs and bread crumbs into 3 shallow bowls - you can add a little salt and pepper to the bread crumbs and flour. This is the order you'll want to dip:

1. flour
2. egg
3. breadcrumbs
4. egg
5. breadcrumbs

Once you've done all the dipping - in a pan over medium heat add the oils. Like I mentioned, I only used EVOO. Carefully place 4 rolls at a time in the oil and fry on each side for about 3 minutes - then repeat with the other 4. 

After you've fried the 8 pieces transfer them over to a baking sheet until they register to be at least 160° - the book says 5 minutes, that was a little too short for me so I actually kept them in there for 20 minutes and they were cooked to perfection. If you're super weird about your meat - I highly suggest this digital thermometer fork - I use it all the time because I'm incredibly weary about how well done my meat is. Meaning I want to be 100% positive it's cooked! 

Once removed from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes and warm the marinara sauce. Add the sauce and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. I served it with a side of green beans, but you can choose anything you'd like - maybe even add some garlic bread as well! All that's left is to enjoy - oh and this meal is everyone approved and makes for great leftovers! 

Are you a fan of chicken parm?