The other evening, I wanted something that would cook up quickly but didn’t want one of those boring quick-to-table recipes. With some beautiful chicken breasts I needed to use and a craving for pasta, I set to work on coming up with something new.
Now I know it’s a bit cliche for this recipe post on my southern cooking blog to start with the words “Fried Chicken” but be real, folks…you know you love it! If it makes you feel better, call it Chicken Parmesan. Whatever you call it, you’re going to love the way the crispy chicken and marinara blend.
I’m using a good quality, jarred tomato sauce as a base for this. Now, I do like to make my sauce from scratch but there are some good sauces you can pick up at the grocery store. They make a good start and the additional ingredients really kick up the flavor.
Just find a good brand you like and make it your own. My personal favorite is the Bertolli line but try out others to match your taste.
Another one of those recipes you can tweak to match your tastes. Try it out and I think you’ll find it’s a family pleaser.
[recipe title=”Fried Chicken Marinara” servings=”4″ time=”1 hour” difficulty=”easy”]
Marinara
- 1 lg jar pasta sauce
- 2 cans diced tomatoes, well-drained
- 6-8 white mushrooms, quartered
- 1⁄2 med sweet onion, roughly chopped
- 1⁄2 bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Fried chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
- Enough milk in bowl to cover chicken
Place the following items in a 1 gallon Ziploc
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder.
- 3 tablespoons canned parmesan cheese.
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Place chicken to soak in milk bath for at least 45 minutes.
Mix all ingredients for marinara in a medium sauce pot and bring to a low simmer. Stir often and keep covered, simmering on low for 1 hour.
Place dry ingredients for fried chicken in bag and shake to combine. Drain chicken and place in bag, shake well. Heat 1⁄2 inch olive oil for frying in 12” iron skillet. Gently remove chicken from bag and carefully place in the hot grease. Don’t crowd but most if not all will fit in one batch. Try really hard to only flip once. When both sides are golden brown, remove to paper towel to drain.
Boil 1 pound of pasta as per directions on package and drain well. Place desired amount of pasta on plate hollowing out the center. Place 5 or 6 pieces of fried chicken in center well. Dip a ladle full of marinara on top of chicken. Place a few more pieces of chicken on pasta and top with marinara. Serve right away.
[/recipe]
