Pilar Valdes' Chicken Parm

Dinner rolls, Apricot Jell-O, Anchovies - Oh my! We take the classic Chicken Parm on an unexpected spin. The marinara sauce is spiked with salty anchovies and we embrace Jello-o’s inherent sweetness and sugar content to balance things out.

And the whole recipe is made in a 10” skillet. Can we skillet? Yes we can. Can we skill-it, yes we can. Here we go!

ingredients

Breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Anchovy Filets
4 Soft White Dinner Rolls Hand torn into 1" pieces
1 Lemon Zested
1 Oz Parmesan Cheese Grated
2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Parsley Stems and leaves

Chicken Mix

6 Thin Sliced Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts About 1.15-1.25 lb total
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Large Eggs
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
Canola or Vegetable Oil
3 Anchovy Filets Cut in half lengthwise

Jell-O Marinara

16 Oz Your Favorite Marinara Sauce
3 Tbsp Hot Pepper Jelly Plus more to taste
1/2 Cup Apricot Jell-O OR 2 Tbsp Apricot Jell-O Powder
2 Anchovy Filets
16 Oz Fresh Mozzarella Cut into 1/4" rounds
Fresh Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil To finish
Lemon Wedges

prep

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the sauce. Place a 10” (oven-safe) skillet over medium heat. Add the marinara sauce, hot pepper jelly and 2 anchovy filets and bring to a simmer. Stir in the apricot jell-o and continue to cook and allow the flavors to meld, about 3-5 minutes. Check for seasoning; it should be slightly tart and savory, with just a touch of sweetness and then a nice kick from the pepper jelly. Adjust seasoning and transfer the sauce to a bowl.

Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter, and 2 anchovy filets and saute until the anchovies are dissolved. Toss in the torn dinner rolls and saute until the bread soaks up the butter-anchovy mix. Transfer bread to a sheet pan and place in the oven and continue to toast until slightly dried out and golden, about 6-8 minutes. Place bread in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs are formed. We love a mix of some larger pieces (no larger than a pea!) and some finer crumbs. All that is gonna give our final dish maximum texture. Transfer breadcrumbs to a shallow bowl; add the chopped parsley and the lemon zest, give it a good mix and set aside.

On a sheet pan, lay out the chicken breasts in a single layer and pat dry. Combine the paprika, powdered onion and powdered garlic. Season both sides of the chicken well with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and the dried spice mix.

Get your breading station ready: In another shallow bowl, beat together eggs and dijon mustard. Place your flour in another shallow bowl. If there is any remaining dried spice mix, whisk it into the flour. Place your seasoned chicken into the flour mix and coat both sides; shake off the excess flour. Then dip it fully into the egg mixture, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to coat both sides well; press gently to make sure the breadcrumbs adhere. Set it back on the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast.

Wipe out your skillet. Add just enough (vegetable or canola) oil to coat ¼” high. Heat your oil over medium/ medium high heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees. In batches, fry the chicken until lightly golden all over, about 1 minute per side. Transfer back to the sheet pan. Save the oil for another use.

Drew loves a combination of textures - and really hates when Chicken Parm gets all sogged out. So instead of doing sauce at the bottom, we just lay a piece of chicken directly in the skillet, place a slice of mozzarella in the center, lay one (half) anchovy slice on top of each of the mozzarella slices, and then dollop a bit of the sauce over the mozzarella. Bake in the oven until the chicken is fully cooked through and the mozzarella is melty - about 8-10 minutes.

To Serve: Top the dish with fresh basil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve more of the sauce on the side.