Chicken parmigiana
Make midweek easier with our family-friendly chicken parmagiana. Ideal for freezing for busy week nights, the recipe is also easily doubled.
- Prep:40 mins
Cook:30 mins
- Serves 4
- More effort
Nutrition per serving
- kcal 405
- fat 20g
- saturates 4g
- carbs 27g
- sugars 0g
- fibre 3g
- protein 27g
- salt 0.4g
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 50g plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 75g fresh breadcrumbs
- 15g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 125g ball mozzarella, cut into 4 slices
- 300g spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- pinch of caster sugar
- splash of red wine vinegar
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes or passata
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Method
Cut each chicken breast in half lengthways so you have four fillets. Put the fillets on a board, cover with a sheet of baking parchment and bash with a rolling pin until they are the same thickness all over.
Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with a little salt. Tip the egg into another dish, then the breadcrumbs and parmesan into a third dish, stirring to combine. Working with one chicken fillet at a time, coat in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat in the cheesy breadcrumb mixture. Transfer the breadcrumbed fillets to a plate as you go. To freeze, stack the fillets in a freezerproof container between sheets of baking parchment. Will keep frozen for three months.
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and sizzle the garlic for 2 mins. Sprinkle in the sugar and add a splash of the vinegar, then tip in the tomatoes or passata. Add the oregano, season and bubble for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally until thickened. To freeze, leave to cool completely, then transfer to a freezerproof container (portion it into more than one, if you like). Will keep frozen for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a pan until piping hot.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the breadcrumbed chicken fillets for 3 mins on each side (fresh or from frozen) until golden and crisp. Arrange on a baking tray. Spoon a little of the sauce over the middle of each fillet, and top each with a slice of mozzarella. Heat the grill to high. Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then drain and toss with the remaining sauce. Grill the fillets for 3-4 mins, or 1-2 mins more if they’re from the freezer, until the mozzarella is melted and bubbling, then serve.