Grilled Parmesan Chicken
I've always struggled to find something that my son (who is now 5) will eat consistently, as he's always been a very picky eater. If we gave him the option to pick our meals I can guarantee it would be Mac N' Cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My daughter (who is nearly 7) on the other hand is an adventurous eater and not nearly as picky about things (although, she does still love her Mac N' Cheese).
We originally bought some of these Parmesan cheese crisps (pictured below) to use for salads. From time to time I like to experiment with different things in the kitchen, which usually makes my wife nervous. We were bored with the regular meals we'd been having so I though I'd try something new and use these Parmesan cheese crisps as breading for chicken. Needless to say I was worried that they would just burn or the flavor would be terrible, but it's turned out to be one of the best meals & we now have it on a regular basis. Not only is this one of the simplest things to cook, but BOTH kids love it!
Supplies
- Grill (pan frying or baked in the oven probably works too)
- Cutting board
- Mortar & Pestle or Food Processor/Grinder
- Knife
- Meat tenderizer
- Plastic wrap or a ziplock bag
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- 2 bowls
- Cold beer
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup crushed Parmesan cheese crisps (see link for example of what we've used)
- 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon paprika
- 1/4 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and/or pepper if desired (I don't use either)
- 1 egg
Lets Get Cooking!
- (Pictures added below the steps)
- Use your mortar & pestle or food processor to crush up the Parmesan cheese crisps. I tend to like using the mortar & pestle. The food processor creates a finer cheese crumble but I've found that the blade spins fast enough that it somewhat causes the cheese crisps to break down and separate rather than just crumble. Plus with the mortar & pestle you get a little bit bigger pieces of cheese so there are some nice crunchy bites after it comes off the grill!
- Put your crushed/crumbled Parmesan cheese into a medium sized bowl and mix in your paprika & garlic powder.
- Whisk the egg in another bowl
- Take the chicken breasts and place them in the ziplock bag or wrap them with plastic wrap. Use the flat side of your meat tenderizer to pound the chicken until its about 1/2 inch thick. Basically you just want to make it equally thick across the whole breast so that it cooks better. I typically halve the breasts after tenderizing them as the smaller pieces are easier to work with.
- Dip your chicken breasts, one at a time, into the whisked egg, allow egg to drip off then place the chicken into the bowl of Parmesan cheese and coat the chicken thoroughly.
- preheat your grill, stove-top, oven, George Foreman Grill, or whatever it is you plan to use to cook your chicken. Medium heat is what I use on my grill, but you need to figure out what is best for yours.
- Allowing the chicken to sit while your cooking device heads up helps the cheese to bind with the egg and chicken a bit better. If you have any remaining cheese after coating each of your chicken breasts, then re-coat them using what is left just before putting them on your grill. It'll give it some nice extra crunch!
- Cook it evenly on both sides, flipping only one time.
- Find a great veggie as a side to compliment the chicken and enjoy!
Getting everything prepped
Very basic 3 ingredient "breading" mix
Tenderizing the chicken
Ready for coating!
Ready for grilling
Almost done
Ready to eat
- a side of Brussels sprouts to go with it
DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR COLD BEER!
- pairs wonderfully with a nice dark beer
Hope you guys enjoy this!
I'll probably try to do some others from time to time.