Chicken Provolone

Chicken Provolone sauce ingredients:

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup chicken stock

6 cloves garlic, thickly sliced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ cup chopped white onion

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons basil, freshly chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

Chicken itself:

2 eggs

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1½ pounds chicken scaloppine, pounded to about ¼-inch thickness

3 cups Italian-style bread crumbs

10 tablespoons Extra Light 100% Pure Olive Oil, divided

8-12 ounces shaved or grated provolone cheese

To prepare the Chicken Provolone Sauce:

Pour the tomato sauce and the chicken stock into a blender and process until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency, about 1 minute.

Sauté the garlic and the red pepper flakes in the olive oil over medium-low heat for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped onion and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring well.

Add the tomato-sauce-and-stock mixture and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, chopped basil and sugar. Stir well and cook for 5 more minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

To prepare the Chicken Provolone:

Preheat the broiler.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the cream.

Dip each of the scaloppine in the egg mixture and then the bread crumbs; make sure both sides are coated evenly. Place the scaloppine on a tray until you’re ready to use them.

Pour half of the extra light olive oil into a large sauté pan and cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, until it starts to sizzle. Add half of the breaded scaloppine and cook over medium heat, 1 minute per side. Place the cooked scaloppine on a tray lined with brown paper.

Clean the sauté pan and dispose of the oil. Cook the second batch of scaloppine in the remaining oil, following the same directions as above. Cover and keep warm.

Lay the fried chicken scaloppine on a nonstick, oven-safe tray, and top each serving with 2 tablespoons of sauce and 2 ounces of shaved or grated provolone cheese.

Broil in the oven until the cheese starts to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

My sauce mods:

- Instead of 2 cups of tomato sauce, I used one 14oz can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes, whizzed in my mini food processor (the immersion blender attachment) and most of 1 can of campbells chicken broth

- I used a cube of frozen newt-food-esque basil instead of fresh

- Instead of red pepper flakes which I didn't have, I used about 1 tsp of Sambal Oelek

My chicken mods:

- I hammered the chicken to about 1/2" thick because I got sick of smashing it, so it took a bit longer in the pan

- I left out the cream in the egg bath because I didn't have that

- I happened to have bacon drippings so I fried the chicken in that plus a bit of canola oil

- I used Applegate Farms prepackaged slices of provolone

Original recipe: http://www.nickstellino.com/Recipes/Menu/Recipe/Default.aspx?men=30&rec=740