Description
Tender, juicy breaded chicken cutlets under melting cheese and a layer of perfectly simple marinara sauce.
Ingredients
- 6 thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets (about 2 pounds)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup fine Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese, cut 1/4 inch thick
- 1 cup simple marinara sauce (see recipe)
- 1/4 cup chiffonade-cut fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and pound evenly with a meat tenderizer.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt.
- Place the buttermilk in a shallow bowl. Combine both types of bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl.
- Using a fork, pick up a chicken breast, dip it into the buttermilk, and allow the excess buttermilk to drip off. Place the chicken breast in the bread crumb mixture, lightly pressing to coat both sides. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Spray the chicken breasts with olive oil cooking spray, then bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and spread each piece with 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce and then top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chicken interior registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Garnish with the basil. Serve with pasta and more marinara sauce, if desired.