Chicken Parmesan - Aaron Mccargo, Jr's Masterpiece!

Sandi (From CA)'s Note:

This is, without question, the best chicken parmesan I've ever had. It's from Aaron McCargo, Jr of The Next Food Network Star competition. I love the way he seasons the chicken itself as well as the panko, making sure you *get* the seasonings instead of them falling off into the oil. The white sauce takes this completely over the top. Just when you think you've died and gone to blissful heaven, another dimension of magnificent flavor graces your awaiting tongue. Use your favorite store-bought marinara. I used Classico Cabernet Marinara with Herbs and it was DEEE-vine! I also used far less oil than Aaron's suggested 2 quarts and halved the recipe which turned out just fine. Diet, SCHMY-ET!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

FOR CHICKEN

• canola oil , for deep-frying (about 1-inch)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 4 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin)
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 cups panko
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs , slightly beaten
• 1 quart marinara sauce
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese

FOR WHITE SAUCE

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all seasonings together then divide into 2 parts.
3. Season chicken breast with half of the seasoning on both sides.
4. Add the remaining seasoning and 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley to panko bread crumbs and mix.
5. Dip chicken in flour, then in eggs, then in bread crumbs.
6. Fry chicken until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
7. For the white sauce, heat the garlic and heavy cream in a medium saucepan, until simmering.
8. Turn off heat, add butter, and whisk vigorously until fully incorporated.
9. Add 1 tablespoon fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.
10. Simmer the marinara sauce in saucepan over medium heat.
11. Place 2 slices of mozzarella cheese on each breast.
12. Pour the warmed marinara sauce over the cheese, drizzle with white sauce and serve.

Reviews

[ihvhope]

This is company worthy. We really enjoyed the flavors with this recipe with the white sauce giving this another level of yum! I don't use Panko very often but they are a must because nothing else stays this crispy. Thank you!

[Turkmanastan]

And I thought that I made a good chicken parm... This was simply fantastic! The panko and the white sauce helped to separate this recipe from the rest of the pack. Followed the recipe as written. Made this for company, as it was easy to put together. The compliments were the highlight of the dinner conversation.

[Wobin]

Wow this was amazing. My mind went blank for a bit and I thought I was in an italian restaurant... but I realized I was still in my kitchen and it was that much better. I tried to find Panko with no luck. I saw recipes for it on zaar but was too lazy. So I used regular bread crumbs and it came out great. I did think the amount of bread crumbs was over kill and could have gotten by with 1 cup. It might be that panko is not as bulky as reg. crumbs. Me, hubby and sister in law loooved this. I served with Kittencal's Marinara Pasta Sauce (Vegetarian) , Tomato Basil Bread - by Hand or Bread Machine and Polenta Parmesan. Thank you Sandi!