Chicken Thigh Parmesan Recipe

Chicken Parmesan Thighs

I thought that I loved Chicken Parmesan but now I really do. What changed my opinion was a move from boring breast meat to flavorful boneless/skinless thighs.

I think that I won't be alone when I say that I judge an Italian restaurant by their chicken Parmesan. It's a relatively simple dish to make so I have to wonder what these folks are thinking when they set the plate in front of you and much to your surprise there is as much breading as meat. And with little doubt, was probably prepared by a food distributor, thawed (maybe), fried, a ladle of tomato sauce poured over the breast, topped with some Mozzarella cheese and popped under the broiler to melt. And if you're wondering, I'll just say that you'll be hard pressed to find any Parmesan incorporated in their method. So what you get is a soggy top crust which raises the question, Why would any self-respecting chef do this?

Forget that nonsense of pounding chicken breasts or slicing them horizontally to ½ an inch. Buy some boneless/skinless chicken thighs and leave them alone.

In contrast to my previous posts, and for the most part I'm not going to be showing any measurements because I think that you should decide on the quantities depending on the number of portions you're going to make whether it for one or four or more.

Recipe Ingredients
Large eggs beaten – start with 2

Plain bread crumbs – start with 1.5 cups

Flour

Good quality Parmesan cheese, not that stuff in the green tubes

Sliced fresh Mozzarella

olive oil

salt and pepper

Marinara Sauce 

baking sheet with a wire rack

12 inch skillet

A corded oven thermometer

My classic Italian marinara sauce can be found here.

Recipe Procedure
Beat the eggs in a high plate or bowl. Place the chicken on a dinner plate and salt and pepper both sides, then lightly flour until all of the meat is covered. Put the bread crumbs in another high sided plate or bowl and add some of the Parmesan into the crumbs and stir to combine. Deep pie plates work splendidly.

Remember you're making Chicken Parmesan so don't be judicious in the amount but don't go nuts either.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, use center rack

Dip the floured chicken into the egg and let the excess drip off, place the meat into the bread crumb mixture until all is covered, press the crumbs into the meat to ensure that the breading has adhered. Place on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Proceed until all of the chicken pieces are ready to be fried.

Fill a skillet with enough oil to come ½ up the sides of the chicken pieces. This doesn't mean that you measure the thickness of the thighs and divide by 2 simply because once you put in the meat the level of the oil will rise. Since you are using thick thigh meat you should be able to fry all at once but regardless, don't crowd the pan.

Fry the chicken until they are golden brown and remove to the wire rack. Sprinkle some Parmesan on the thighs followed by the Mozzarella.

Place the tip of the probe into the center of the thickest thigh and set the alarm to sound when the internal temp registers 160 degrees. Remove and plate as pictured above and then ladle your sauce around the cutlet not under or over it. This ensures that each and every bite is crisp and not soggy. All you have to do is dip the pieces into the sauce. Or you could have a small dipping bowl filled with the sauce. Hey, it's all about how you roll.

A side of pasta is mandatory; I suggest thin spaghetti.

Buon Appetito