Summer Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded 

•  3/4 cup of your favorite store bought Italian salad dressing 

• 3 large tomatoes, grated on a box grater yielding about 3 cups of sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated on a microplane

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

• 2 tablespoons of salted butter, optional

• 1 tsp dried oregano 

• 1 tsp of Ch Tikka Masala Spice Blend

• 1 tsp of Red Pepper Flakes 

• Stracciatella cheese or burrata

• Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

• Fresh basil for serving

• sea salt, or kosher salt

• flaky salt for serving

• freshly ground black pepper

Toasted Garlic Panko (optional)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp of Maani’s Tandoori Spice Blend

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 medium garlic clove, finely grated

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes

Basil Pesto (optional)

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 tablespoons chopped garlic 

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Toast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a small pan until golden brown.  Then place the walnuts, toasted pinenuts, and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

instructions

1. Marinate the chicken: Combine the chicken and the Italian Salad dressing and the chopped garlic in a large zip top bag and refrigerate over night.

2. For the Panko (optional): Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the panko, tandoori spice blend, red pepper flakes and toss to coat. Toast until the breadcrumbs are golden, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat, add a pinch of salt, and transfer the breadcrumbs to a bowl.  Store the breadcrumbs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

3. Make the Tomato Sauce: Combine the grated tomato with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp of sea salt or kosher salt, and the finely grated garlic. Mix to combine, taste and adjust as needed. You can leave the sauce as is, or reduce it on the stove slightly. If reducing: add everything to a medium saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil and reduce to a medium simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened. Whisk in butter if using, add the Ch tikka masala spice blend, red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Add the salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Grill the Chicken: Throughly clean and grease your grill grates. Preheat your grill to medium high. Grill the chicken until you get nice grill marks on the outside and the inside registers 150 degrees, about 3-5 minutes a side depending on the thickness of your chicken and the heat from your grill.

5. To Assemble: Ladle the tomato sauce and a bit of the basil pesto over the pasta and mix together. Then add each of the butterflied cutlets on top of the spaghetti.  Top the chicken with the freshly grated parmesan cheese, a few dollops of stracciatella or burrata cheese, flaky salt, freshly ground black pepper, toasted panko, basil pesto, fresh basil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and Enjoy!!