Kurt's Chicken Parmesan and Fettucine Alfredo

We set out to make the best possible version of this classic, perfecting the handful of qualms we tend to have with the original. We add a touch of potato starch to the chicken breading to help keep it extra crisp; chicken parms all too often dissolve into mush under the weight of all that sauce and cheese. We urge you to cook the chicken in a cast-iron skillet, if possible—cast-iron conducts heat more evenly and therefore creates a perfectly craggy, crispy crust. And we use a combination of cheeses here—parm, pecorino, and mozz—that we think strikes the perfect balance of tangy, salty, and creamy. Video Link #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f5p90Adb5Y Video Link #2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n5z0LTGII4

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Do these things the night before to save you a lot of time on the day of.

Step 2

Shred and Measure out all of the different cheeses required for these recipes and then put them into individually labelled ziploc baggies.

Step 3

Gently press out all of the air in the baggies without squeezing or compressing the shredded cheese within and then place them in the refrigerator.

Step 4

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, potato starch, grated parmesan and pecorino, thyme, oregano, tomato powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt, and pepper together and mix thoroughly to evenly distribute all ingredients.

Step 5

Pour all of the contents into a large ziploc baggie, label it, squeeze all of the air out, and then place into the refrigerator for use on the next day.

Step 6

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes (including the liquid) until they’re broken up but still a little chunky (you’ll have about 7 cups).

Step 7

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Step 8

Add the garlic and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Step 9

Add the pepper flakes and stir.

Step 10

Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the sauce comes to a boil (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Step 11

Immediately remove from the heat and season with the sugar, then stir in the basil sprigs.

Step 12

Let the basil steep in the sauce for 30 minutes, then remove the basil and garlic from the sauce.

Step 13

Store the sauce in an airtight container and place into the refrigerator for use the next day.

Step 14

Follow these steps on the day of serving dinner.

Step 15

Start by putting a large pot of water on the stove and set to high temperature. Also, add a tablespoon of salt to the water and stir.

Step 16

Trim and Clean each Chicken Breast in order to remove any fat or loose pieces.

Step 17

Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise and then also cut the larger piece in half lengthwise.

Step 18

Working with one at a time, place a chicken breast in a freezer bag and pound with a meat mallet or tenderizer until evenly pounded to about ¼ inch thick.

Step 19

Remove from the baggie and then *lightly* salt both sides of each chicken breast with freshly cracked salt and pepper.

Step 20

Then place onto a plate separating the cutlets with parchment paper and set aside temporarily.

Step 21

Place the flour in the first bowl.

Step 22

In a second bowl, add the eggs and thoroughly whisk the yolks and the whites.

Step 23

In the third bowl, pour the bread crumb mixture that you stored in the refrigerator from the night before.

Step 24

Arrange the bowls in a row in this order: flour, egg, bread crumbs.

Step 25

Working with one piece at a time, dredge the chicken in flour to coat both sides, shaking off the excess.

Step 26

Dip the chicken in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off.

Step 27

Coat the chicken in the breading mixture, carefully pressing the breading to the chicken so it adheres evenly.

Step 28

Set the breaded chicken on a plate, using parchment baking paper to separate the chicken breasts and keep them from sticking together or coating to peel off, and then set the plate in the refrigerator while making the fettucine alfredo.

Step 29

Add the fettuccine to the large pot of salted, boiling water that you started previously and cook, stirring occasionally, according to package instructions or until al dente (about 11-12 minutes).

Step 30

In a large, high-sided skillet, add the heavy cream and butter.

Step 31

Turn the heat on to medium and begin constantly swirling the pan until all the butter is melted.

Step 32

Increase the heat slightly above medium and bring to a steady simmer, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to lightly thicken.

Step 33

Turn off the heat and add the Parmesan and garlic. Vigorously whisk until thoroughly combined and emulsified.

Step 34

Add Salt and Pepper and mix in.

Step 35

Reserve ½ cup (120ml) of the pasta cooking water.

Step 36

Drain the pasta and then immediately add the fettuccine to the alfredo sauce, incrementally adding the pasta water, as needed, to emulsify the sauce.

Step 37

Place a lid over the pan to keep the pasta warm while preparing and cooking the chicken.

Step 38

When ready to plate, twirl the pasta around a carving fork and then transfer the pasta in a ladle to a shallow serving bowl. Then, add a little grated parmesan and freshly cracked pepper and enjoy.

Step 39

Remove the breaded chicken breasts from the refrigerator.

Step 40

In a large cast-iron pan, heat the olive oil and vegetable oil together over medium-high heat.

Step 41

Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add 3-4 of the chicken cutlets to the pan and cook about 2 minutes on each side, continuing to turn them until all sides and edges are a nice golden brown (6-8 minutes).

Step 42

Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Step 43

Set the oven to broil.

Step 44

Remove the Tomato Sauce from the refrigerator you prepared the night before.

Step 45

Set out a 9"x13" glass cooking dish and then spoon in a shallow layer of the Tomato Sauce until it covers the bottom of the dish.

Step 46

Set the chicken breasts into the glass cooking dish. (You may need to overlap them somewhat to get them to all fit)

Step 47

Spoon another layer of the tomato sauce over the top of the breaded chicken breasts. (Note: only cover the chicken breasts about 75% of the way with the tomato sauce. do not completely cover them. this allows some of the crunch from the breading to come through)

Step 48

Top with the mozzarella cheese first, and then the parmesan cheese second, and then the pecorino cheese last.

Step 49

Place the chicken in the oven and broil until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted with little brown spots visible (4 to 5 minutes).

Step 50

Remove from the oven, garnish with basil, and serve immediately.