Chicken Parmesan Pasta Toss Recipes

CHICKEN PARMESAN PENNE PASTA TOSS

Steps:

• Fill a large pasta pot with water and place it over high heat.
• Once the water comes up to a boil, salt it and drop in the pasta.
• Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions.
• Before draining the pasta, reserve a mugful of starchy cooking water, then drain and reserve.
• While the water is coming up to a boil, place a large skillet over high heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper then add it to the preheated skillet.
• Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.
• Once the chicken is brown, add the garlic and onions to the pan, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst open and begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes (if they haven't started to burst open by that time, mash them lightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon). Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Add the drained pasta and reserved starchy cooking water (about 1 cup) to the skillet with the chicken and tomatoes, and toss over the heat until combined, about 1 minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil, arugula or spinach, and cheese.

SIMPLE CHICKEN PARMESAN

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat garlic and 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer; simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm. (Remember, this makes twice the amount of sauce you need, so put aside half for another meal.)
• Put chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound, using your fists or a heavy pan, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.
• Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large soup kettle.
• In a pie pan, beat egg until well-blended. In another pie pan, mix bread crumbs and more black pepper. Preheat broiler.
• Working one cutlet at a time, dip both sides of each in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs. Put cutlets on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet (this step helps breading stay put).
• Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet. When oil starts to shimmer, add cutlets and saute until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes total. Wash and dry the wire rack and return to cookie sheet. As the cutlets saute, cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.
• Transfer cutlets to clean wire rack over cookie sheet. Top each with a portion of the cheeses. Broil cutlets, 4 to 5 inches from heat source, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.
• Drain pasta. Put a cutlet and a portion of pasta on each of 4 plates. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of sauce over part of each cutlet, then sauce the pasta as desired. Serve with extra Parmesan.