Category: Meat and Poultry

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 slices of pork loin, about 8 to 10 ounces each, ¾-inch thick
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour for dredging
• 1 cup fine dried breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
• Amatriciana Sauce (make the sauce just as you do for this pasta recipe)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Make your Amatriciana sauce if you have not prepared it prior.
3. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper.  
4. Place your breadcrumbs in a small bowl or flat container, or on a sheet of wax paper.
5. Place your flour in a separate small bowl or flat container, or on a sheet of wax pepper.
6. Beat the eggs in a wide, shallow bowl until thoroughly blended.  
7. Dredge the pork loin pieces in flour to coat them lightly, and tap off any excess. Dip them in the beaten egg, letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
8. Transfer the pork pieces to the breadcrumbs and coat both sides thoroughly.  Pat them gently to make sure the breadcrumbs adhere to the pork.
9. Heat ½ inch of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat heat.  If you toss in a small pinch of flour and breadcrumbs and it sizzles, the oil is ready. Lay the pieces of pork into the oil and fry, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes on each side.
10. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until no trace of pink remains in the pork.
11. Remove the pork from the oven.  If they look a little oily, drain them briefly on paper towels.  Spoon the Amatriciana sauce on four plates and serve the pork on top.

Chef it Up:  Slice a medium sized onion and add to a small bowl. Add 1 cup of white balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Marinate for at least two hours. (You can also refrigerate and leave for up to two weeks). Serve as the “onion” ingredient in your amatriciana sauce by adding a few to the dish as you see in this photo and spooning a little amatriciana sauce inside the pickled onions.

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

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Trim your chicken breasts of fat and gristle if necessary.  Pound into thin cutlets and season with salt.  
3. 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.
4. One at a time, put the chicken breasts in the bowl with the seasoned breadcrumbs and coat on both sides. 
5. 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. 
6. 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).  .  
7. 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.  

Chicken Pizzaiola is an Italian American classic.  It is not a dish that you would find on a culinary research trip to Italy.  However, as a chef who worked in a highly acclaimed Italian restaurant in New York for over 25 years, you can imagine that many guests are either Italian American or learned about Italian cuisine here in America. 

As a chef, I must respect that food is a culture and cultures evolve.  So a few years ago, I began to play with some of the Italian American classics and incorporated the Italian philosophy of cooking as locally and seasonally as possible.   This chicken pizzaiola is lighter, more contemporary, and easier to make than the traditional version.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 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 cups canned tomato sauce
• 4 slices of low-moisture mozzarella, or ½ cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. Trim your chicken breasts of fat and gristle if necessary.  Season with salt and place in a resealable plastic bag or container with the buttermilk, and refrigerate for 2 hours.  
2. When your chicken is marinated, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
3. 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.
4. Put the drained chicken breasts in the bowl with the seasoned breadcrumbs (one at a time) and coat on both sides. 
5. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a medium size oven-proof skillet and add the breaded chicken breasts (make sure they’re not touching).  Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side so that the coating is crisp and browned. 
6. Transfer the chicken to the hot oven and cook for another 12-15 minutes, or until it is cooked through.  (You may also opt to place the marinated chicken directly onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and simply bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes).  
7. While the chicken bakes, heat up your tomato sauce.  
8. When the chicken is just cooked through, top with half of the tomato sauce and sliced mozzarella, then bake again until the cheese is just melted, about 2 minutes.  
9. When ready to serve, spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly onto the plates.  Add the chicken breast to the center of each plate, and top with a fresh basil leaf.

Chef It Up: At home, I use a simple, homemade tomato sauce for this dish.  You can also use a tomato and basil emulsion.  While your chicken bakes, combine your tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 3-4 basil leaves in a blender, and puree until smooth.  You can use this tomato emulsion to create an even lighter, more restaurant-style version of this recipe. Try topping the chicken breasts with a roasted cherry tomato.