No-Fry Chicken Parmesan

Who doesn’t absolutely love Chicken Parmesan?? Who absolutely loves it but doesn’t love standing over a counter dredging, breading, and frying the chicken in a whole bunch of oil?  I don’t know about you, but I can’t STAND frying food. Not only do I get burned from oil spattering all over the place, but frying often leads to a greasy end-product – not to mention the fact that the whole house wreaks of frying oil for the next several days after frying.  Frying also doesn’t lend itself well to clean-eating.  Although, I haven’t yet completely switched to clean eating, I am taking gradual steps to incorporate “cleaner” meals into our weekly rotation, and I’m working on developing cleaner versions of recipes I love.  So the other night, when I wanted to make chicken parmesan without frying, I knew I had a few options…pan saute or grill.  Not being able to decide on 1 method over the other, I decided to try both.  Did I mention I’m totally indecisive by nature?

I had 2 packages of organic boneless skinless chicken breasts which are very thick, so I like to cut them in half.  Using a very sharp knife, I cut each breast in half lengthwise.  This is more economical than buying cutlets or thin-sliced breasts because I feel like those are too thin.  I threw a bunch of seasonings on both sides, threw half the breasts in a skillet, and the other half onto a stove top grill pan.  Both cooking methods worked wonders, and the chicken was so moist and tasty, that I didn’t even miss that breaded coating.

Here’s the thing with this recipe…I make my own tomato sauce using organic canned tomatoes, but if you’re short on time, you could definitely use your favorite jarred sauce.  I’m adding my Italian family’s red sauce recipe that’s slow-simmered for a couple of hours. SO.FRIGGIN.GOOD! If you have the time, the sauce is so easy and well-worth the time.  You won’t be disappointed.  Remember, I don’t actually measure out ingredients, so these measurements are approximate 🙂

• Time: 2 hours if making your own sauce
• Difficulty: medium
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Chicken Parmesan
Measurements are “to taste” and approximate. Adjust as desired.
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup regular olive oil, divided use
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1/2 tbs onion powder
1 tbs dried basil
1/2 tbs oregano
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (the kind in a canister works great)
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below)
1 1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese (mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan, or a blend – get crazy here)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

With a sharp knife, very carefully cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. You can also have your butcher do this for you if you’re not sure about doing it yourself. Preheat stove-top grill or skillet over medium-high heat. If using a grill, spray with non-stick olive oil cooking spray. If using a skillet, add 1-2 tbs olive oil. If using a grill, rub remaining olive oil over both sides of each chicken breast. (This step is not necessary if using a skillet).

Mix together minced garlic, onion powder, basil, oregano, parsley flakes, finely grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub seasoning mixture over both sides of each chicken breast.

Using tongs, place each chicken breast on grill. If using a skillet, you may have to add chicken in batches depending on the size of your skillet. You want the chicken to sear, not steam. Adding too many chicken pieces to the pan at once will not achieve a pretty result.

Flip chicken after 3 minutes and sear on second side for 3 more minutes. Meanwhile, coat a 9×13″ baking pan with cooking spray. Ladle 1 cup of tomato sauce into bottom of prepared pan and spread out to cover the whole bottom of pan in a thin layer.

Remove chicken from grill or skillet. At this point the chicken may not be cooked all the way through, but that’s okay!! It’ll finish cooking in the oven.

Place chicken into prepared 9×13″ pan. Ladle remaining 1-2 cups of sauce over chicken. Sprinkle shredded Italian cheese all over chicken. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to get a nice brown crust on the cheese.

Tomato Sauce
(Remember – seasonings are “to taste” and are approximate measurements. Adjust as desired.)
2 6 oz. cans organic tomato paste
1 28 oz. can organic tomato puree
1 tbs regular olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 tbs dried basil
1 tbs garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbs Kosher salt
1/2 tbs dried oregano

In a very large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add both cans of tomato paste, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. You are essentially frying the tomato paste, so continue stirring until olive oil and paste are combined and the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan without burning. SAVE THE TOMATO PASTE CANS!!

Add tomato puree to paste mixture. SAVE PUREE CAN!! Stir mixture to combine. Add black pepper and stir. Fill the saved cans with water and add to the puree/paste mixture. Stir to combine. Add basil. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. (You can recycle the cans now 😉

Add Kosher salt and stir. Reduce heat to lowest setting (You want just the slightest hint of a simmer; mixture should not really appear to be simmering at all.) Let simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Stir occasionally (about every 15-20 minutes). Add oregano for last 30 minutes of simmering. Remove from heat and serve over pasta or use in your favorite Italian recipe. Transfer leftover sauce to freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. This sauce freezes beautifully.

Stellar Turkey Burgers

“Stellar” is another word I am trying to use more often.  I don’t know why, but I think it fits, and it’s fun to say 🙂

First off, I’m going to apologize for this photo.  It sucks, I know.  But I hadn’t originally planned on blogging this recipe; the end result was so “stellar”, though, that I had to share it.  I just took a quick snapshot.  I know I can do better.  When I make these again, I’ll take a more attractive photo and replace this awful one with it.

Here’s the thing about burgers…I ❤ them.  I really do!  Beef burgers are great and all, but I like turkey burgers better for a few reasons…1) they’re healthier and leaner…2) ground turkey is so much less expensive than ground beef…and 3) minimal shrinkage.  I’m sorry, but I’m tired of all my beef burgers (that were so expensive in the first place) shrinking down to almost nothing.  Yes, I’ve tried every trick in the book including the “thumb print” trick to no avail.  I’ll stick with ground turkey (ground chicken works great, too!).  Really, tasty turkey burgers can be thrown together using any spices you have in your spice cabinet.  I don’t measure ingredients; I just sprinkle in however much of whatever ingredient I want until it looks like enough.  Measurements below are approximate, so you can adjust however you’d like 🙂

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1.3 lbs ground turkey or turkey breast
1/4 cup bread crumbs (seasoned or plain-I prefer seasoned)
1/2 cup milk
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or 1/2 tbs garlic powder)
1 tbs parsley flakes
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tbs onion powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
few dashes hot pepper sauce (about 1/2 tsp)
few dashes Worcestershire sauce (about 1 tbs)

Method
Preheat broiler or outdoor grill. Add all ingredients EXCEPT ground turkey to a large mixing bowl, and whisk together. If mixture is too dry, add a bit more milk, 1 tbs at a time until desired consistency is reached. Mixture should not be “watery”, but should not be powdery dry either.

Add ground turkey to mixture, and mix with your hands just until ingredients are combined. Do not overwork the meat as it will become tough. Form meat mixture into 6 even patties. Wet your fingers with cold running water to make pounding out the patties easier.

If broiling, place on broiler pan, and broil on high for 8 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. If grilling, place on grill and cook until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F, flipping burgers once halfway through cooking.

Top with lots of yummy cheese if desired, and serve on buns, lettuce leaves, or tortilla wraps.

Maryland Crab Cake

If you’re from Maryland, you understand the importance of a stellar crab cake – it’s all about achieving the correct ratio of backfin crab meat to filler.  Generally, you’d want about 3 parts crab meat to 1 part filler.  Do you feel like doing that math?  I sure as heck don’t.  Fellow Marylanders know what I’m talking about when I say “filler”.  Filler refers to all the other ingredients in the crab cakes besides the crab meat.  In restaurants, we’re sometimes hard-pressed to find good crab cakes that include more crab meat than filler.  For the inflated price of restaurant crab cakes (which is dependent upon the availability of good local crab meat), you’d expect to get a crab cake that contains mostly crab meat and far less filler.  Sadly, this is not always the case.  I’ve often wound up with with a patty full of mealy bread with a few flakes of identifiable crab meat thrown in the mix. For the price I pay for 1 crab cake in a restaurant, I can easily make 6 crab cakes of my own at home, with almost no filler.

Question:  Is filler really necessary? Answer: YES! Filler is necessary for the sole purpose of holding the crab cake together, and THAT’S IT! Filler is not meant to be used as a substitute for that glorious sweet back fin crab meat, and only the tiniest bit of filler is necessary.

Maryland backfin crabmeat is gold around the Mid-Atlantic region. It’s best if you can catch your own crabs, pick the meat, and use that in your crab cakes. My husband is a waterman, so I’ve reaped the benefits of his crab bounty in the past, but lately, the crabbies haven’t been “running” well, so I’m reduced to purchasing pre-picked backfin crabmeat in the grocery store. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying crab meat in the grocery store.  Backfin crabmeat is a bit expensive (about $21 USD per pound), but you’ll find that 1 pound of the meat itself costs just about as much as a one-crab cake entree in a restaurant.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend the same money, and be able to get 6 or more crab cakes.  Crab cakes are so easy to make, too and can be thrown together with just about anything you have in your pantry or fridge.

*BEWARE OF IMPOSTOR CRABMEAT: Check the container to be sure the crabmeat is indeed from Maryland.  When crabs are not in season during the winter months, you’re safe with crabmeat from the Carolina coast, etc., but watch for crabmeat that is packaged in foreign countries.  That crabmeat has a different texture and flavor, and does not make the best crab cake.

One must-have for perfect Maryland crab cakes is Old Bay seasoning!

It’s pretty easy to find in the Mid-Atlantic states, but scarce elsewhere.  If you can’t find it in your grocery store.  You can buy it here.

Ingredients

1 lb Maryland Backfin Crabmeat
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 slice of white bread, torn into cubes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs dijon mustard (or yellow mustard)
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs parsley flakes
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tbs Old Bay Seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven broiler. I use the low broiler setting.
Mix all ingredients EXCEPT the crabmeat in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add crabmeat and gently fold into the mixture. Do not overmix! You don’t want to break up the crabmeat too much.

With damp hands, form about 6 patties of crabmeat mixture. Make them as thick or as thin as you like. Place on a broiler-safe pan, and broil until golden-brown and slightly crispy on each side – about 4 minutes per side.

Serve with lemon slices and cocktail sauce. Eat it on a sandwich or all by itself.