Celebrity Chef Alton Brown’s Chicken Parmesan can change the way you make this classic American dish. Traditionally made with pan-fried chicken cutlets smothered in tomato sauce, seasonings and of course cheese, the chef takes a different approach for a dish that’s no less decadent and inviting.
The iron boss the host adds another layer of flavor in their sauce that takes this recipe to a whole new level.
The magic of Alton Brown’s Chicken Parmesan is in its sauce
The chef’s red sauce calls for extra virgin olive oil, large minced garlic cloves, anchovy fillets, red pepper flakes, whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, kosher salt and the ingredient that makes this sauce sing, a parmesan crust.
“There is no real Parm in this recipe”, the Good food star writes her chicken parmesan recipe in her cookbook Good food4“although we used the crust in the sauce. If you’re really dying for it, feel free to sprinkle it over the finished dish at the table. Honestly, though, I never mind.
Garlic is sautéed until golden in oil, followed by anchovies and red pepper flakes. Brown notes breaking up “the anchovies with the back of a wooden spoon, until they dissolve in the oil.”
Tomatoes are added, also broken up with the spoon, at which point the zest is tucked into the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about an hour, stirring more as it thickens. Once the crust is removed from the sauce, it is ready to use.
“By the way,” adds Brown, “that makes more sauce than the chicken needs. You’re welcome.”
Get the Complete Chicken Parmesan Recipe in Alton Brown’s Latest Cookbook Good Eats4: the last years Or on Food Network Sitewhere you will also find reviews.
The chef’s chicken parmesan includes two cheeses (without this crust)
Unlike most chicken parmesan recipes, Brown doesn’t just go with mozzarella cheese in this recipe. It uses two cheeses: mozz boosted by another cheese.
“Why two? Low-water mozzarella, aka pizza cheese, is a stretched, low-acid curd cheese, which means it is made up of many long proteins that stretch even when melted,” he explains. -he. “Americans love that stretchy gooey texture and the fact that it browns easily.”
As Brown notes, there’s nothing wrong with mozzarella cheese except that he says “a big blob of stretchy mozzarella can become a fluffy ball of glue and, let’s face it, it didn’t great taste.”
With that in mind, he brings “softer, fattier” Fontina cheese to the party, adding “a nutty, buttery flavor.”
Many critics call Brown’s chicken dish “the best”
Once you come across a Chicken Parmesan recipe you love, you keep it, as many home cooks have stated on the Food Network site.
“Sacred buckets. This is the best chicken parmesan I have ever had. Tomatoes are a must, so don’t buy old canned tomatoes. … Incredible flavor. Super crispy,” one person wrote.
Another reviewer added, “The best chicken parmesan I’ve ever eaten!” Well worth the time! It will definitely be in my dinner rotation!”
And others agreed, writing, “this is the best chicken parmesan recipe I’ve ever had”, “everyone said this was the best chicken parmesan they’ve had ever had” and “it’s one of the best recipes I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, bar none.
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