The Rolling Pin: a Kitchen Accessory Useful for Making Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

I take my rolling pin for granted.  It used to belong to my grandmother, and I have carried it with me to New York, London and now Los Angeles.  I use it for making pie crusts on occasion, but there’s nothing more satisfying than using it to bash chicken breasts. 

Several of my recipes require flattened boneless chicken breasts.  You can’t buy them flattened, so you have to flatten them yourself.  Although I’m not a baseball player, I’ve noticed that the bat striking the ball sounds rather like the rolling pin striking the chicken.
 

The idea is to turn the fist-thick chicken breast into a large, sleek 1/4-inch thick circle.  It will cook faster and will have a lot more crunchy breaded surface.  Pop the cooked chicken into a bun or serve it on a plate with a knife and fork.

Chicken Parmesan - 4-6 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz, each) or 2 large breasts (from 12 oz. up to 1 pound)
1/4 cup flour + more if needed
2 large eggs
1 cup panko crumbs + more if needed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil + more if needed
1 cup spaghetti sauce + more if needed
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Trim and discard any visible fat from each chicken breast.  If the breasts are large, cut them in half vertically so you have 2 half-breasts of equal size. 

Place 1 of the breasts on a sheet of wax paper and cover it with another sheet of wax paper.  Use a rolling pin or kitchen mallet to flatten the meat  so that it's about 1/2-inch thick. Transfer the flattened breast to a plate and repeat until you’ve flattened all the pieces. 

Set out 3 large soup bowls on your work surface.  In Bowl 1 add the flour.  In Bowl 2 add the eggs and beat them vigorously.  In Bowl 3 add the panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. 

Set out a tray next to the bowls.  Coat a piece of chicken in the flour.  Then dip it in the egg mixture.  Finally dip it in the panko/Parmesan mixture, making sure to coat both sides with crumbs.  Transfer to the tray and repeat until all the chicken has been prepared, adding extra flour and panko crumbs as needed. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Set out a large baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper, if you have some, wax paper or olive oil.  This will prevent the chicken pieces from sticking.  Set aside. 

Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a large frying pan and begin heating over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add as many chicken pieces as will fit into the frying pan.  Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until the panko coating has begun to brown.  Gently turn the chicken over and cook for another 3 minutes.  Transfer to the baking sheet and repeat the process for the remaining chicken, adding more oil if needed. 

Once all the chicken pieces have browned and are on the baking sheet, cover them with spaghetti sauce.  Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese.  Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is white (not pink) in the middle.  Serve immediately.

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