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crunchy chicken parm

 
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 11:10 pm    Post subject: crunchy chicken parm Reply with quote

this is a delicious and ultra-simple chicken dish.
I'm so weary of 1000 ways to cook chicken breast . . . but this is a good one.

original source here:
https://recipepatch.com/crunchy-chicken-breasts-coated-in-ranch-seasoning-and-cheddar-cheese-yumfest/2/

basically, the chicken is marinated in ranch dressing; hours to overnight.
the dressing is used to stick the coating to the chicken.
((air dry the coated chicken for ~ 20 minutes - my add))
baked about 20-25 minutes and it's done.

note that there are no other seasonings - no salt, no herbs, no spices,,,,,
but I did break the rules and added some fresh ground pepper.

the marinade:


details / hints:
in our empty nest of two, one medium sized chicken breast, which I sliced into two less thick ~ 1/2 inch pieces:
45g panko
20g grated cheddar
40g grated parmesan (24 month aged - harder and drier)

for the cheddar - use small surface so the cheddar gratings are as short as practical. shorter mixes better in the panko/parm blend.

as a obtw: I've been converted to slicing the mega-chicken-breasts into thinner 'slabs' - they cook more evenly.
those big thick breasts.... the exterior thickness gets over done before the interiors are done.....
in the thinner version, the chicken is done and also fork tender . . .

use the fine side of the grater - big cheese chunks won't work.
grate the cheddar first - it's soft - the harder parm will "clear" the grater.

the gratings:


the coated:


I bake it on a rack, so it finishes at the low end of the time estimate - about 20 minutes - until instant read thermometer registers 150'F / 65'C

out of the oven:


plated for dinner:
(I cut it so the 'thickness' issue is clearer)
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sensiblewall



Joined: 28 Nov 2017
Posts: 94

PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the ranch also helps soften the meat. I read from one of the threads here that she is using Mayo to make the meat tender. Also, it helps your other marinade ingredients spread evenly across the surface of the meat.

Though, thanks for sharing it here!
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SmartShabby



Joined: 28 Nov 2017
Posts: 38
Location: Calabarzon, Philippines

PostPosted: Tue Aug 10, 2021 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually, I have seen in Italian cuisines that they tend to boil the meat with milk. Some are also using yogurt to help soften the meat.
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Guest






PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I see you used parmesan in your recipe. All the times I used this type of cheese the meal turns tough, especially meat.
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

there's something else causing the tough meat - it's not the Parmesan cheese.
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mitzini



Joined: 29 Sep 2022
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I usually marinate the meat in plain yogurt.
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ranch dressing is a bit rare in Europe. some areas have a similar and call it "American dressing" but the seasoning is not the same.

home made ranch dressing uses sour cream, yogurt, etc -
it's the acidity of the dairy that acts as a tenderizer.

in the case of this chicken dish, it also serves to 'stick' the coating/breading to the chicken - with the added seasoning of the dressing.

btw, there are huge arguments over 'the best ranch dressing'
just like 'the best yogurt" ....
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