1poundboneless-skinless chicken breastcut into fillet cutlets
1 ½cupsplain bread crumbs
½cupparmesanfreshly grated (divided)
1tablespoondried oregano
1tablespoondried basil
½teaspooncayenne
½cupall-purpose flouron a shallow plate
2eggslightly beaten, in a pie plate
¼cupextra virgin olive oil
2cupsprepared tomato sauceuse your favorite or use the recipe to follow
2cupsmozzarellashredded
4small 6-inch sub rollssplit
Tomato Sauce
28ouncecan tomato sauce
10ouncecan tomato paste
1teaspoondried oregano
1teaspoondried basil
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoononion powder
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
Pound out the chicken cutlets to ¼-inch thickness using a mallet.*
Combine bread crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan, oregano, basil and cayenne in a small bowl. Mix with a whisk to blend the spices and cheese evenly into the breadcrumbs. Pour the breadcrumb mixture into a shallow plate or pie pan.
Coat each chicken cutlet in the flour, shaking off any excess flour. Then dip the flour coated chicken into the beaten egg; coat well. Next, dip the cutlet into the breadcrumb mixture. Place the coated chicken on a platter or plate. Let the chicken sit for at least ten minutes, in the refrigerator.**
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, over low heat, whisk to combine the tomato sauce ingredients; warm through.
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, carefully add the battered chicken to the pan, cooking 2 to 3 pieces at a time (do not overcrowd the pan). Cook until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Place them on a paper towel in a plate to allow excess oil to drain.
Preheat the broiler.
Line a broiler-proof baking pan with aluminum foil. Lay the cooked chicken cutlets out on the pan (not touching). Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce onto each chicken cutlet. Add about two tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella, then top with about 1 teaspoon of the parmesan cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese has browned and is hot and bubbling, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Slice the sandwich rolls in half horizontally. Place the rolls cut side up onto a separate baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. When the chicken is done, slide the pan out of the oven to cool; slide the pan of rolls under to broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted and started to brown.***
Remove the rolls from the oven, top the bottoms with chicken, remaining sauce and the other half of the rolls.Serve immediately.
Notes
*You can buy chicken already pre-sliced into thin pieces. It is cheaper to buy whole breasts and fillet them yourself. Once you have the fillets, cut them into smaller pieces. It makes them easier to fit onto the sandwiches.**This allows the batter to adhere to the chicken better and keeps so much from flaking off, making it easier to fry.***Be careful to watch the edges of the bread. They tend to brown a little faster than the cheese.
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