What’s not to love about chicken parm?

Crispy chicken? Savory marinara? Melty mozzarella? Nope. The answer is absolutely nothing.

However, a problem with making chicken parm at home can often result in more soggy than crispy chicken.

I avoid that by baking the crisped chicken on a rack, and then topping it with sauce and mozzarella, versus letting it sit in baking dish immersed in sauce. Then, if you need any additional sauce you can add it after the bake.

Ingredients:

8 chicken cutlets

1 quart buttermilk

2 Tbsp evoo

1 yellow onion, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 28oz cans whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

handful fresh basil leaves, sliced

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups pork panko

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp onion salt

1 tsp dried italian parsley

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 cup grated parmesan

avocado oil

sliced fresh mozzarella

Directions:

Marinate chicken cutlets in buttermilk, 4 -6 hours.

Heat evoo to shimmering over medium heat in a dutch oven.

Add in onion, stirring to prevent burning. Once onions are translucent, add in garlic and tomato paste. Stir to combine.

Add in tomatoes, basil, salt, sugar, pepper and vinegar. Stir to combine.

Cook for 5 minutes.

Add in wine and stock. Bring to a boil.

Reduce to simmer and let flavors develop for 30 - 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 420.

Heat about an 1/8 inch of avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet to 350 degrees.

Whisk together panko, salt, onion salt, italian parsley, white pepper, and parm.

Remove chicken from buttermilk and dredge through panko mixture.

Working in batches, brown on both sides in avocado oil. Remove from oil and set on a wire rack on top of a tin lined baking sheet.

Spoon sauce over each cutlet and top with a slice of fresh mozzarella.

Bake until chicken reaches 165 degrees.