Pollo Dorato - Momma's Golden Chicken

About a month ago, I purchased a cookbook called Momma, Me & You off Amazon.  I had seen a tutorial of how to make a red sauce and she mentioned this book and so I popped over to Amazon to check it out.  I have many cookbooks, but one I was missing was an authentic Italian cookbook.  This cookbook sounded amazing from the get go and I was antsy pantsy checking my mailbox every single day to get my copy.

I *love love love* this cookbook.  Firstly, its spiral bound allowing it to lie flat.  Secondly, it has beautiful pictures that just make you want to eat the page.  Finally, every recipe is authentic as can be.  Turns out Momma was a true blue Italian who ran a famous restaurant at a resort town where many celebrities dined on her fabulous dishes.  After trying my first recipe from her cookbook, I can understand what made her so popular in Hollywood's hay day.

I made Pollo Dorato, or Golden Chicken, as it is known.  And while on appearance it may seem like just your average piece of breaded chicken, ala chicken parmesan, its so much more than average or normal.  The chicken breasts are cut into cutlets and pounded thin before marinating in a delicious cheese, herb and cream marinade for a short time before double breading and a light fry.  They are then BAKED in a delicious blend of chicken stock and butter that soaks in and adds a whole new dimension of light, yummy flavor layers.  OH MY GOSH....the flavors are out of this world extraordinary.  The chicken is insanely juicy and moist to boot.  Served with a side of pasta, this was the absolute best Italian meal I've had in a long, long time.  I can't wait to make more from this cookbook...Momma was a brilliant kitchen angel!

As a side note, my hubby ended up taking a cutlet that was leftover, a bit of tomato sauce and some provolone cheese and made a sammie for work.  I hear its even better the second day!

POLLO DORATO

From Momma, Me & You

4 boneless chicken breasts
3 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
2 cloves garlic, minced ne
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped ne
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup Sherry wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup flour

1 ½ cups plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Wash, pat dry and cut each chicken breast into 3 slices. Gently pound each piece to ¼ inch thick.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, cream, cheese, garlic, parsley, sherry wine, pepper and salt.
Divide mixture into two bowls. Place the chicken in one of the bowls, cover and marinate for one hour. (I put mine in the fridge to marinate.)
 
Remove chicken and discard egg mixture. Prepare three shallow dishes or pie pans. Place flour in the first, the remaining egg mixture in the second and the breadcrumbs in the third. Dredge chicken pieces in fl our then dip into egg mixture and then coat with breadcrumbs.

In a large frying pan on medium high heat, fry chicken in olive oil until golden brown on both
sides, about 2-3 minutes. Place the chicken in a baking or casserole dish. Pour broth over chicken and dot with pieces of butter. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes.  

Serves 4. Serve with a side of pasta or salad. Yum!

RECIPE NOTE: I actually just ended up making TWO things of the marinade/egg dips instead of dividing it. I was afraid I'd not have enough left to dip them into before breading and I was right. It wasn't enough if I had used only one. So if you have monster chicken breasts like I did, make TWO of the marinades and save yourself some headache.