Description
This crusted chicken romano is a cross between Cheesecake Factory's crusted chicken romano and classic chicken parmesan. We coat a think piece of chicken breast with a combination of romano cheese and panko breadcrumbs, pan fry it, then top it with marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese and bake it until the cheese is bubbly and perfect.
Ingredients
2 large chicken breast (ours were a combined 1.25 pounds)
1 large egg
1/4 cup finely grated romano cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/3 cup avocado oil or vegetable oil
1 cup marinara sauce
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Butterfly each chicken breast, then cut each breast into two separate pieces, for four individual pieces of chicken. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to beat the chicken even thinner, to about ¼ inch thick.
- Add a beaten egg to one small bowl and the cheese, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, ground cayenne, and salt to another bowl. Mix the breadcrumb and cheese mixture until combined. Submerge each piece of chicken in the egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Fully coat each piece with breadcrumbs, then place on a clean plate to the side.
- Add oil to a pan over medium-high heat and let it got hot for 2-3 minutes. Add two pieces of chicken to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 2.5 minutes. It's done when the coating is golden brown and the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees. Repeat with the other two pieces of chicken.
- Top each piece of chicken with sauce and mozzarella, and bake on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and bubbly. If you're feeling fancy, top with fresh basil and serve over pasta.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
the key to great texture on this chicken is making your romano cheese powder-ish. If your box grater has super small holes, that may work, but we find the easiest way to achieve a great texture is processing it in a food processor.
Your oil may get hotter than mine, so make sure you're checking every once in a while to make sure the bottom of the chicken isn't burning.
If you're not feeling the cheese and sauce on top, leave it off! This chicken is great on it's own too!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Half a Chicken Breast
- Calories: 489
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 986.2 mg
- Fat: 24.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.2 g
- Protein: 53.3 g
- Cholesterol: 161.4 mg
