When you hear Chicken Parmesan, many of you will instantly be brought back to your childhood, sharing the warm, comforting dish amongst your family members. Though many believe Chicken Parmesan has Italian origins, it is actually a dish that originated in the United States by Italian Americans. It is not actually an old world Italian recipe, but rather a dish made by immigrants. So, surprise! Chicken Parmesan is in fact very American!
Chicken Parmesan is actually a spin-off on Eggplant Parmesan, which is in fact an old Italian dish known as Mellenzana alla Parmigiana. It is likely that substituting eggplant with chicken was due to the low availability of eggplant in America and the affordability of chicken. Chicken, today, is still highly affordable. The Italian Americans replaced eggplant with chicken, but the method remains the same. The chicken is coated in a light breading, then pan fried, topped with tomato sauce and cheese, and then baked.
However, the absolute key to a great Chicken Parmesan is in the quality of each of its individual ingredients. Below, we detail the 14 best ingredients used for Chicken Parmesan!
1. Organic Chicken
First and foremost, the quality of your protein, the chicken, is critical for ensuring the best Chicken Parmesan. I mean, the word “chicken” is half the name. So what is meant by organic chicken? Well, for your chicken to be organic, it has to have been fed an organic diet, meaning food grown without pesticides.
Conventional chickens are raised on antibiotics, and those antibiotics eventually enter our digestive system and blood stream. Organic chickens, on the other hand, are fed no antibiotics and are given access to the outdoors. Happier and healthier chickens produce better quality meat. Organic chicken meat also contains between 5 and 13% less fat than conventional chicken. Once upon a time, organic chicken was only found at butcher shops, but you can now purchase in most supermarkets in the meat section.
Right now, consumers’ interest in organic farming is at an all time high. So, make sure you choose organic when choosing your chicken for your parmesan.