This dish is a lighter, summertime version of my Chicken Pizzaiola recipe. It uses fresh tomatoes and a thinner chicken cutlet, and can be made with or without a little fresh tomato sauce. If you want to marinate the chicken in buttermilk like I do in the Chicken Pizzola recipe, you can still do that to render it very tender.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds), pounded into thin cutlets
- Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup of freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano* (you can also use any combination of these herbs if desired), plus 4 basil leaves for garnish.
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ½ inch slices (you can also use cherry tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine)
- 4 slices of low-moisture mozzarella, or ½ cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Trim your chicken breasts of fat and gristle if necessary. Pound into thin cutlets and season with salt.
- In a medium sized bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, herbs, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until all is incorporated together.
- One at a time, put the chicken breasts in the bowl with the seasoned breadcrumbs and coat on both sides.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to a medium size oven-proof skillet, and arrange the breaded chicken breasts so they’re not touching. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side so the coating is crisp and browned.
- Transfer the chicken to the preheated oven and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until it’s cooked through. (If you want to skip step 5, you could place the chicken directly onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and simply bake for 15 minutes). .
- When the chicken is just cooked through, top with the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella and bake until the cheese is just melted, about 2 minutes.
Nicotra Kitchen 