Chicken Parmesan with Bolognese

Tonight we're having Chicken Parmesan with some home made Bolognese sauce!

Bolognese Step 1: Ingredients

6 tomatoes
4 Roma tomatoes (optional)
1 medium yellow onion
2 medium carrots
3 celery stalks
6 cloves of garlic
Fresh Basil
Fresh Oregano
Chicken Broth
Red Wine

Peel and chop the carrots, onion and garlic and chop up the celery.

Bolognese Step2: Saute the Onion

In a medium sauce pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and toss in the chopped onion. Saute until the onion is soft and semi-translucent.

Bolognese Step 3: Mix in everything but the tomatoes.

Once the onion is sauted, toss in the carrots, celery, garlic, basil, and oregano and stir that around for a minute or two, then add about a cup of wine and a cup of stock. Cover it with a lid and turn the heat down to low and let it simmer while you peel the tomatoes.

Bolognese Step 4: Peeling tomatoes the easy way

Fill a large pot almost full of water and bring it to a boil. Drop in your tomatoes for about 30 seconds, then transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of cool water. The skins will literally slide right off.

Bolognese Step 5: Squish the tomatoes

Mulch up the tomatoes by hand as you're adding them to the pot. Yes, your hands will get dirty, yes you'll likely squirt tomato juice all over your shirt... just do it.

 Bolognese Step 6: More Wine!

Pour in enough wine and stock so that the pot is 3/4 full or most of your ingredients are submerged, then put a lid on it and let it simmer for 3 or 4 hours.

We'll do more with the sauce but first, it's suppertime!

Chicken Parm Step 1: Hammer time.

Yes, that's a 10 pound sledge hammer. You don't have to be this ridiculous when you're pounding the chicken breast flat but.. why WOULDN'T you use a 10 pound sledge if you have one?

Anyways, pound the chicken breast flat. Alternatively, if you don't like what that does to the texture of the meat, trim the fat and gristle from the chicken breast, then cut it in half width wise.

Place the palm of your hand on top of the chicken breast and then cut each breast in half laterally, minding your fingers.

Chicken Parm Step 2: Breading Ingredients

You'll need three bowls.
Small Bowl: One egg yolk and about three quarters of a cup of water mixed together.

Medium Bowl: Mix a small amount of flour with salt and pepper and stir it together.

Large Bowl:  Mix plain breadcrumbs, salt and flour.

Chicken Parm Step 3: Frying time.

Put three or four tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and turn the heat to medium.

Take each piece of chicken, roll it in flour, move it to the eggwash, roll it in breadcrumbs then put it straight in the pan.

Cook one side for 3 - 5 minutes, depending on your stove, then flip and let the other side cook for 1.5 - 2 minutes.

Chicken Parm Step 4: Let it rest

Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a draining rack and then shred some parmesan on top of them while they're still hot.

Bolognese Step 7: Look at how pretty

Your sauce is going to be very, very chunky... and I like that. However, if you want a nice, smooth sauce, hit it with an immersion blender until it looks like this:

This sauce is thick. If you don't like thick sauces, add chicken stock until it's the consistency you want.

So, here we have it folks, Chicken Parmesan with home made Bolognese sauce over Ziti Rigati: