Ingredients

Chicken Parmigiana
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
Pinch sugar
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried plain bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic,
and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil,
reserve the rest of the basil for finishing the chicken. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like
tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with
sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the flour in a shallow
platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide

bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, add the 1 cup parmesan,
chopped parsley, and garlic powder Season with salt and pepper and stir with a fork until thoroughly
combined.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both
sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely,
letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets
and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and arrange the mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and
remaining basil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.