Chicken Parmesan Bites

Today I'm going to show you how I turn one of our favorite chicken dinners into a delicious hot appetizer.  I promise, they'll be the first thing to disappear from your table.

Prepare crumb mixture by combining equal parts finely grated parmesan or romano cheese and Italian seasoned bread crumbs.

Mmm, mmm, mmm... it's going to taste so good.

Beat some eggs too.  Just look at that amazing color.  I love buying my eggs from a local farm.

Prepare the chicken by cutting boneless breast or tenders into bite-size pieces. Here's a tip - to keep your chicken tender, cut it across the grain. 

Dip the chicken pieces into the beaten egg.

Allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl.

Immediately place the egg-dipped chicken into the cheese and bread crumb mixture.  Be sure the entire piece of chicken gets coated well. 

Heat about 1/2-inch of olive oil in a skillet and fry the chicken pieces until deep golden brown, the turn and repeat on the other side.  Mine took about 4 minutes per side.  

Olive oil isn't really the best choice for frying things, but you can get away with it when shallow frying.  The flavor of the oil will play a big role here so don't use light olive oil (it's too bland).  And don't use a luxury olive oil (save that for drizzling).  Choose a nice, fruity olive oil that falls somewhere in the middle (Kirkland, Bertolli, etc).  After you cook a few batches of these appetizers, the oil will break down and darken considerably - allow it to cool completely and discard.  It won't be a good candidate for saving to use another day. 

I'm warning you - eat a few before you serve them or you might not get any! 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• wusthof classic nakiri knife https://amzn.to/46n1YAT

• shallow pasta bowls https://amzn.to/337YjLv

• cutting board https://amzn.to/3r1dO3y

• 11-inch nonstick skillet https://amzn.to/3HHHWEv

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Chicken Parmesan Bites

makes appetizers for 4

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut across the grain and into bite-size pieces

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• kosher salt to taste

• 1 large lemon, sliced into wedges

• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• several leaves of chopped fresh basil

• 1 cup your favorite tomato sauce (try my san marzano sauce recipe)

Directions

1. In a shallow bowl, beat egg well.

2. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese.

3. Dip chicken into beaten egg, followed by breadcrumb mixture.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil until shimmering.

5. Fry chicken in oil until golden brown on both sides; drain chicken on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.

6. Place chicken pieces on a shallow pan and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella; heat under broiler just until cheese melts (keep a close eye on it).

7. Remove from oven and place on serving platter.

8. Sprinkle with plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice and chopped fresh basil; serve with a side of your favorite tomato sauce (try my san marzano tomato sauce recipe).

Chicken Cutlets, Nuggets, or Strips

This was not only my favorite chicken when I was growing up, but it was also the favorite of my siblings, and later, my own children.  The recipe is the same whether you call it chicken cutlets, chicken nuggets, or chicken strips - the only difference is how you cut the chicken.  

The recipe is pretty flexible - you can completely omit the grated cheese (my mother never used it), but I like my bread crumb mixture to contain up to 1/2 cheese - I think it adds wonderful flavor.  I also like to cook my chicken in extra virgin olive oil, despite reports to the contrary, it adds amazing flavor.  Lastly, I finish the chicken with a heavy squeeze of fresh lemon juice - again, adding amazing flavor.  Honestly, I wouldn't bother making it if I didn't have fresh lemons on hand.  

Cut chicken into desired shape.

Prepare crumb mixture by adding up to 1/2 grated parmesan or romano cheese, or if you're like my mother, just use straight up Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.  don't even think about using plain breadcrumbs. 

If adding cheese to the breadcrumbs, mix them well.

Beat the eggs in a bowl.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg, being careful to coat completely before allowing excess egg to drip back into the bowl.

Place egg coated chicken into the breadcrumb mixture, coating completely.

Preheat oil in a skillet or shallow pan until it begins to shimmer.  

Fry chicken until golden brown on one side, then flip and repeat.  remove from oil when cooked through and immediately sprinkle with a little kosher salt.  

Serve with plenty of fresh lemon wedges.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Italian seasoned bread crumbs https://amzn.to/397A3q0

• Wusthof Nakiri knife https://amzn.to/2Qu2YxP

• good quality skillet https://amzn.to/2UfMU3X

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Chicken Cutlets, Nuggets, or Strips

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into nuggets, strips, or cutlets

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup mixture of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and grated parmesan or romano cheese (see note below)

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• kosher salt to taste

• 2 large lemons, sliced into wedges

Directions

1. Cut chicken into desired shape.

2. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese if using.

4. Dip chicken into beaten egg, followed by breadcrumb mixture.

5. In a large skillet, heat oil until shimmering.

6. Fry chicken in oil until golden brown on both sides; drain chicken on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.

7. Serve with plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Notes

• You can omit the cheese and use just bread crumbs, but I like to use a mixture of half Italian seasoned bread crumbs and half grated Parmesan or Pecorio Romano cheese.

• For extra crunch, use Italian seasoned PANKO bread crumbs.