The Best Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Hello! Welcome. Today we are making a classic, The Best Chicken Parmesan Sandwich. What makes it the best? Well, in my opinion it’s the addition of a roasted Poblano Pepper relish. I have to thank Matty Matheson for that addition. He recently made a Chicken Parm Sandwich on his YouTube Show, Cookin’ Somethin’. I already had this sandwich on my list for this week, so the addition of the roasted pepper relish was a no-brainer. Let’s get right to it!

Set the oven to broil and position an oven rack in the second from the top position, so the rack is about 6-inches away from the heating element. Place 3-4 Poblano Peppers on a sheet tray and place in the oven. Keep your eye on them, turning them over as they blacken and char, to get an even charring.

When the peppers are evenly blackened, pull them from the oven and cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap, or use tongs to transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them steam undercover for 10 minutes. Carefully move the oven rack back down to the center position and leave the broiler on.

Meanwhile you can slice 2 chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 cutlets. Cover the cutlets with plastic wrap and pound them to about 1/4-inch thick. Leave them covered and set aside. Dice one small/medium onion. Press 4-5 cloves garlic.

In a pan over medium heat, sauté the diced onion in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until they are translucent. Then add garlic and a good sprinkling of kosher salt. Stir and sauté for 30 seconds, then add one can of crushed tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer. Stir it occasionally. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the sauce gently bubbling. Taste the sauce and add more kosher salt and/or black pepper to taste.

So we have our charred peppers steaming; the sauce is simmering and the chicken is pounded into cutlets. We are looking really good. So now, let’s make the Poblano Pepper Relish.

Poblano Pepper Relish

After steaming, the skins should peel off the peppers very easily. Peel and stem the peppers and then slice them into 1/2-inch strips. Transfer the strips to a small bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped parsley, a drizzle (about 2 teaspoons) of red wine vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper. Stir together and set aside.

Chicken Breading

We have our pepper relish made; the sauce is still lightly simmering, so let’s move on to the chicken. Set up 3 shallow bowls or pie plates. One with 2 beaten eggs; one with 1 cup of flour and the last one with 1 and 1/4 cups of Panko breadcrumbs. Along side the pie plates, set up a wire rack in a rimmed sheet tray to catch the breaded chicken.

Working one piece of chicken at a time, coat a cutlet in flour, then dip it in egg, then coat it in Panko. Lay the breaded cutlet on the wire rack and repeat the breading for all 4 chicken cutlets. When the chicken is breaded, take the pie plates and discard any remaining egg, flour and Panko. Pop the pie plates in the sink or dishwasher. Wipe down your area and set up a clean wire rack in a clean rimmed sheet tray to catch the fried chicken.

We are shallow frying these cutlets, so pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grapeseed, vegetable or peanut oil into a 12-inch, high sided skillet. Let the oil heat over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes. Test the heat of the oil by dropping in a little Panko. If it sizzles, we’re ready to fry.

One cutlet at a time, lay two cutlets in the oil, releasing them away from you. Let the cutlets fry until golden before flipping. About 3-4 minutes. To get an even browning, it’s ok to flip them over a few times (3 minutes each side). We are looking for internal doneness temperature of 165 degrees F. When they’re evenly golden and done in the center, transfer them out to the wire rack and immediately sprinkle them with a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Move on to the two remaining cutlets.

Chicken Parmesan

I am only making two Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches, so the other two cutlets will be cooled and saved for another dish (maybe you can guess what…). Top the cutlets with about 1/4 cup of sauce. Then top the sauce with fresh mozzarella.

Place the the topped cutlets in the oven and broil just until the cheese gets melty. Then pull them out and top with Parmesan cheese. Place them back under the broiler for another 2 minutes or so.

When the cheese is melted to your liking, pull out the Chicken Parmesan. The buns I have for my sandwiches are pretty small, so I am slicing a cutlet in half to make a more manageable sandwich. Do this, or not, depending on your bun. You can also make a double stack of the Chicken Parmesan between your buns.

Place a Chicken Parmesan on the bottom bun and top with the roasted pepper relish, place the top bun on top, and that’s it!

I do hope you give this, The Best Chicken Parmesan Sandwich a try. The roasted pepper relish is really wonderful, it adds just enough acid (with a little bit of heat) to balance the richness of the Chicken Parm. If you’re like me, making extra and using the components as meal prep for another meal, the time and effort aren’t such a big deal.

Matty Matheson is one of my favorite chefs and I have made one of his sandwiches before, The Greatest Meatball Sub. You should check that out. He never steers me wrong! Have a great day, take care and be well. xo Kelly

Key Equipment

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Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

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Dinner, Main Course, Lunch – Italian

By Adapted From Matty Matheson – Serves: Makes 2-6 Sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes – Total Time: ~50 Minutes

Crunchy fried chicken topped with tomato sauce, mozz and Parm. Roasted Pepper relish makes this classic Chicken Parmesan Sandwich "The Best."

Ingredients

• Roasted Pepper Relish
• 3-4 Poblano Peppers
• 2 tbsp. Chopped Parsley
• 2-4 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 2-4 tsp. Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Red Sauce
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small/medium Onion, diced
• 3-5 Cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• 1 14.5-oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
• Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches
• 2 Chicken Breasts, sliced in half horizontally and pounded to 1/4-inch thick
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Grapeseed or Vegetable Oil, for shallow frying
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Slices
• Grated Parmesan
• Kaiser Rolls, or other buns

Instructions

Roasted Pepper Relish

1

Set the oven to broil and position an oven rack in the second from the top position, so the rack is about 6-inches away from the heating element. Place 3-4 Poblano Peppers on a sheet tray and place in the oven. Keep your eye on them, turning them over as the blacken and char, to get an even charring.

2

When the peppers are evenly blackened, pull them from the oven and cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap, or use tongs to transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them steam undercover for 10 minutes. Carefully move the oven rack back down to the center position and leave the broiler on.

3

After steaming, the skins should peel off the peppers very easily. Peel and stem the peppers and then slice them into 1/2-inch strips. Transfer the strips to a small bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped parsley, a drizzle (about 2 teaspoons) of red wine vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper. Stir together and set aside.

Red Sauce

4

In a pan over medium heat, sauté the diced onion in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until they are translucent. Then add garlic and a good sprinkling of kosher salt. Stir and sauté for 30 seconds, then add one can of crushed tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer. Season with Black Pepper. Stir it occasionally. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the sauce gently bubbling. Taste the sauce and add more kosher salt and/or black pepper to taste.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

5

Set up 3 shallow bowls or pie plates. One with 2 beaten eggs; one with 1 cup of flour and the last one with 1 and 1/4 cups of Panko breadcrumbs. Along side the pie plates, set up a wire rack in a rimmed sheet tray to catch the breaded chicken.

6

Working one piece of chicken at a time, coat a cutlet in flour, then dip it in egg, then coat it in Panko. Lay the breaded cutlet on the wire rack and repeat the breading for all 4 chicken cutlets.

7

Set up a clean wire rack in a clean rimmed sheet tray to catch the fried chicken.

8

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grapeseed, vegetable or peanut oil into a 12-inch, high sided skillet. Let the oil heat over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes. Test the heat of the oil by dropping in a little Panko. If it sizzles, we're ready to fry.

9

One cutlet at a time, lay two cutlets in the oil, releasing them away from you. Let the cutlets fry until golden before flipping. About 3-4 minutes. To get an even browning, it's ok to flip them over a few times (3 minutes each side). We are looking for internal doneness temperature of 165 degrees F. When they're evenly golden and done in the center, transfer them out to the wire rack and immediately sprinkle them with kosher salt and black pepper. Move on to the two remaining cutlets.

10

Top the cutlets with about 1/4 cup of sauce. Then top the sauce with fresh mozzarella.

11

Place the the topped cutlets in the oven and broil just until the cheese get melty. Then pull them out and top with Parmesan cheese. Place them back under the broiler for another 2 minutes or so.

12

When the cheese is melted to your liking, pull out the Chicken Parmesan.

13

Place a Chicken Parmesan on the bottom bun and top with the roasted pepper relish, place the top bun on top.

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