Feeling stressed? Need to get some aggression out, or just really want to pound some food down flat? Not that I can relate with four kids home this summer, honestly, I love our kids and I am happy to have them home. But recovering from a serious surgery from the beginning of July has not been easy with 4 kids and the little miss potty-training. So, I got to pound out six boneless chicken thighs for dinner. It is quite cathartic. All in all, this meal was under $15.00. As a result, the Chicken was super juicy and the Italian Parmesan dressing under the breading gave it such an amazing flavor!

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Published August 12, 2021
Updated March 11, 2022
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Why this recipe works

Spaghetti is one of our families’ favorite meals. Pasta, marinara, meat and a vegetable. This is a meal you can cook up within thirty minutes. To avoid the monotony of spaghetti on a weekly basis, you can mix up the pasta varieties or the meat, or even add garlic bread! One can never go wrong with a good garlic bread. This recipe works because the chicken was first tenderized and then dipped in flour before frying.

If you are from the Midwest, you will be familiar with Olive Garden. It is a restaurant that specializes in soup-salad-breadsticks and the basic Italian dishes. One thing they do REALLY well is their house dressing which they used to sell in these adorable little glass jars. Now you can find this dressing at most grocery stores. Additionally, it is good on pasta salads, regular lettuce salad, chicken and more.

Italian Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients for Italian Chicken Parmesan

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 package linguini pasta
2 jars spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese
Flour
breadcrumbs
Italian dressing
Salt & Pepper

Directions for Italian Chicken Parmesan

1. Fill a large pan with water 3/4 the way and turn it on high, when the water comes to a boil, place the linguini pasta in the water, and cook as directed.

2. In a large skillet pour 1 inch of oil to fry the chicken and then turn it on medium.

3. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Use a cutting board that will not slip or slide on your counter; something with some weight to it. Wooden butcher blocks are great and also a sturdy one with rubber grips on it to help it stay put like this one from The Pampered Chef which has groves around the edge that keep any liquids from running on your counter. On its flipside, this cutting board is flat and perfect for this use!

4. Put one piece of boneless chicken thigh, or breast, and fold the plastic wrap over the top to cut down on splatters. Some chefs recommend using a plastic bag. This does work; however, I find it annoying to have to slip a chicken cutlet in the bag and remove it over and over. In between the plastic wrap is so much easier and less steps. Because it is “cling wrap”, there is an amount of stretch to the plastic which helps it to not tear as quick as a plastic bag would.

5. Using a meat tenderizer, hammer each piece of chicken till 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Set aside on a plate and continue with each piece until all of the breasts or thighs are done. Our personal tenderizer was a gift from our wedding thirteen years ago and I love it! It is strong and sturdy and most importantly dishwasher safe which then helps to avoid that fearsome cross contamination.

6. Pour 1 cup Italian dressing into a dish and dip each piece of chicken into before the dry mixture.

7. Measure 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper into a second dish, then mix with a fork and then dip dressing covered chicken one at a time into the flour mixture and immediately place into hot oil. Only put 1-2 chickens into the oil at a time, as this helps to make sure the hot oil stays at a consistent temperature.

8. Flip when the edges of the chicken are browned, around 2-5 minutes each side depending on your heat temperature. It is highly recommended to use a pair of long metal tongs to remove the Italian Chicken, so you avoid any dropping or splattering.

9. Then remove the fried chicken with a tongs and transfer into a baking dish. When all are cooked place the baking dish into a 350-degree oven and finish cooking for 10 more minutes. You could also place a metal rack under the chicken on a baking sheet to avoid it sitting in its drippings and to keep the chicken crispy.

10. When water is boiling, cook the pasta per the package’s directions. When done, drain in a sink colander and replace into the pan. This is by far the best strainer as it keeps your food off the bowl of your sink, is dishwasher safe, large enough to handle a lot of food, and additionally stainless steel yet lightweight.

11. Pour spaghetti sauce into a pan and then heat on medium.

12. When Italian Chicken juices are running clear and you cut a piece and see no red, remove the pan from the oven.

13. Plate pasta with sauce on top and a piece of Italian Parmesan Chicken. We served our dinner with sweet peas that were steamed and a side salad, then garnish with shredded parmesan and enjoy!

Italian Chicken Parmesan with Linguini Recipe

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