I've tried about twelve different ways to make Chicken Parmesan and haven't had much success. It comes out chewy and tough, or the breading comes off in the pan, or it sticks to the pan. Even following the directions to the letter, it falls short of delicious.
But this works for me:
One pound of ground chicken
Two slices of provolone cheese, cubed with a knife
Three slices of proscuitto ham, cut up fine
About 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil, maybe a little oregano
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Progresso Italian)
1 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley
You don't need salt, there's plenty in the proscuitto ham.
Mix this all up in a bowl. It's going to be kinda wet, even with the addition of the bread crumbs.
On a cutting board or other clean surface make a 3" circle of grated or shredded parmesan cheese (I used Kirkland Reggiano). Drop a big spoonful of the meat mixture on top of the parmesan and form a patty. Top the patty with more parmesan. You should get four or more patties out of the mix.
Shuffle it into a medium hot non-stick skillet. No oil needed.
Let the patties brown pretty good before turning them. Once brown on both sides, turn the heat low and let them cook through (nobody likes medium rare chicken).
In the meantime cook whatever pasta you like and whatever sauce you like. I like to use spaghetti or fettucine. When I'm lazy, I use jarred sauce like Contadina Marinara.
Here's the magic: the parmesan cheese on the outside of the patty gets brown and crispy. It won't stick to the non-stick skillet, but it'll hang onto the meat really well. Also, ground chicken with cheese and ham stirred into it will not get dry. Chopped meat, having practically been chewed for you, is always tender.
You could add chopped green pepper, fresh onion and/or garlic, or a little dried red chile, or black olives if that sounds good. There are many ways to vary the recipe.
This is what the plate looked like tonight:
I haven't seen this recipe anywhere... maybe it's one of those rare original ideas. I got the idea looking at cheeseburgers frying in a skillet.
You can use extra lean ground beef, too. The Dakota beef at Costco is especially good. I mix a beaten egg, a couple teaspoons of Worchestershire sauce, garlic, pepper, and grated cheddar cheese into it. No bread crumbs. Then I pat blue cheese crumbles on the outside. Baked red potatoes and corn on the cob would be good with this, I think.
Buon Appetito!
