Chicken Parmigiana
my very first blog post in 2010
From my Michelle Schoeps Organic Archives
Here’s the first recipe I ever posted my blog!
I chose it not because it’s a recipe that I make often, but because I had sauce and buffalo mozzarella leftover and I’m trying really hard not to waste food.
When I was younger and I lived in Melbourne, my favourite restaurant was La Lucciola in Chapel St. I still go there every time I’m back in Melbourne because their food is so delicious. One of my favourite dishes is their Chicken Parmigiana, which is why I thought I’d give it a go.
So here we go:
Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients:
2 packs of organic chicken breasts (about 1kg), cut into thirds lengthways, then pounded flat with a meat mallet
Roughly 4–5 cups of breadcrumbs (more is fine—you can freeze the extra). Use good-quality bakery bread or your collection of frozen leftovers. Dry them in the oven at 150°C for 15 minutes, let cool, then blitz in a food processor into fine crumbs
1 cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup good-quality grated Reggiano Parmigiano cheese
For the coating:
2 cups organic plain flour or rice flour (GF), seasoned with salt and pepper
2 large pastured eggs
½ cup whole milk (preferably unhomogenised—much easier to digest)
2 garlic cloves, grated into the egg mixture
Sauce (leftover from the night before):
1 bottle of passata or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, sauté in extra virgin olive oil
1 small sprig of fresh rosemary or a little thyme
1 bay leaf
3 sage leaves (I used these because I happened to have them)
Salt and pepper to taste
Simmer the sauce on low heat for about 20 minutes.
Cheese:
2 balls of buffalo mozzarella, sliced
Method:
Step 1: Prepare your schnitzels.
Dip each chicken piece in the flour, then egg mixture, then the breadcrumb mix. Set aside on a plate. Repeat until all are coated.
Step 2: Fry the schnitzels.
Use a mix of olive oil, coconut oil, beef tallow or duck fat. Make sure the oil is hot before frying (test by dropping a breadcrumb in—if it sizzles immediately, it's ready). Fry until golden, then place on paper towels to drain.
Step 3: Assemble the Chicken Parmigianas.
In a baking dish, layer as follows:
One schnitzel
A generous spoonful of sauce
A slice of mozzarella
A sprinkle of Parmesan
Grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling, just starting to brown.
My table last night went like this:Last Night’s Dinner:
Frankie Doyle – 2 plain schnitzels with loads of salad and tomato sauce
Wilco Doyle – One mini schnitzel, cut up with half an avocado on the side, and a Wilco-sized Parmigiana cooling nearby
Max, Jemima, and Me – Chicken Parmigiana with leftover rocket from Frank’s salad
Yum!!!
We had schnitzels, breadcrumbs, and sauce left over for the freezer.
Family of five fed and happy.
Job done for today... Now, what will I cook tomorrow?!
TIPS:
Using leftover sauce and cheese from the pizza the night before.
Making extra breadcrumbs and extra schnitz for the freezer — for those nights when you can't be bothered shopping or making something from scratch.
Making portion sizes to suit everyone, even the baby. Wee ones for Wilco!!
And different meals for fussy eaters… i.e., Frank.
Bread cooling down ready to be whizzed
Then ways of mixing it up — like my paprika and garlic schnitz or my mozzarella and bacon stuffed schnitz...
Instead of my Italian version, you can do the ones I make most:
Don’t add cheese to the crumbs — I just do parsley and take the garlic out of the eggy mixture.
Add sweet Hungarian paprika (about a tablespoon) and the same in garlic flakes to the flour. Coat the same way and fry, then serve either with rice or mash and salad — Yummo!!
My stuffed one even Frank will eat:
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Prepare the same as the Italian way, but before you coat it, make a slit in the middle of the chicken breast (tip: only cut the chicken breast in half for this one as they need to be a bit thicker). Put a piece of mozzarella, bacon and a basil leaf or sage inside — then coat as normal. The egg should seal it together when you fry it. After they are browned, pop onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray or in a skillet and in the oven for another 10 min just to make sure they are cooked through.
Always using organic or biodynamic seasonal & local ingredients.
Eating seasonally will cut your costs down. You will find that organic produce, when bought seasonally, will be marginally more expensive and on occasion be cheaper — as I found out yesterday.
Trying really hard to not waste things that we buy — which is something I am really starting to make an effort with, but it is a learning process and I have a long way to go….
Also making sure our little ones eat healthy, well-balanced meals — if it’s always on their plate from the start — they will eat it, eventually...
Making smart food choices for them and letting them make them for themselves.
Growing as many things in the garden as possible — even if your garden is as small as mine!! And you kill everything you touch. Give the job to someone else — like your partner or kids — and learn along with them what works in the space you have. Ours is so tiny, but we have rocket, cos lettuce, tomatoes, all herbs, strawberries, and my favourite — raspberries.
Involving them in that process and getting them involved in choosing what goes in, picking and tasting, watering, etc...
Wilco watering himself
Because my kids are so varied in ages and sizes, I can give them different things to do — for instance, Wilco loves to help Dadda in the garden watering and digging, Frank likes to help Dadda plant and then help me by picking the lettuce for our salad (which just happens to be her favourite thing to eat — I know, a little strange for a 7-year-old). And then my biggest, Mima, who is 11, is really into food — she will pretty much eat anything or at least try it. She helped tonight with this, my first ever blog post. She helped me wash and clean the salad and transfer it to the salad bowl. Then she proceeded to make the dressing with a little guidance — and take a few great photos while I was cooking.
Wilco helping daddy in the garden with the watering
Anyway, I hope my recipes and tips help in feeding your family healthy & yummy food for all ages.
If I can do it in my disorganised chaos, anyone can!
Michelle x