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Sometimes it seems like so-called easy weeknight dinners are a myth. Recipes sourced even from the most august publications can sometimes take twice as long as their stated estimates, with little to show for all that extra time. But Ina Garten’s enduring go-to dinner for busy weeknights actually hews pretty close to the oft-promoted 30-minute mark.
Featured in her cookbook “Barefoot Contessa Family Style,” Garten’s Parmesan chicken recipe relies heavily on the pantry items you probably already have on hand to cloak pounded, boneless, skinless chicken breasts in bread crumbs and cheese to comforting, crunchy effect. The most involved step is the dredge, which turns the poultry through salted and peppered flour, a couple of beaten eggs, and a mix of Parm and bread crumbs, and even that is only complicated by the extra space it takes up. After a quick fry in a sauté pan with butter and olive oil, dinner is served, along with a side of lovely green salad dressed with Garten’s quick and easy lemon vinaigrette.
An even faster trick for when you just dread dredging
The Barefoot Contessa’s terrific preparation will truly only take about half an hour to finish, barring any unforeseen circumstances. And you can even shave off a few more minutes, as well as a little counter space, with one tiny but highly divisive ingredient swap. Mayo haters look away: You can skip the eggs and flour to brush, dip, or otherwise slather the chicken with mayonnaise, instead, for a very similar effect. This will also save you from having to clean a third dish. You can even bake the bird in the oven instead of the stovetop. Around 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit will probably tack on some time versus the few minutes required for frying your chicken on each side, but it’s passive time that you can spend prepping Ina Garten’s simple, elegant apple tart for dessert instead of laboring over the range.
Finely diced garlic will also give your breaded chicken a major flavor boost in either case. Provided you don’t render it down to a paste, it’ll stir in nicely with the bread crumb and Parmesan mix. A few shakes of crushed red pepper also bring a perky flavor, but leave a few breasts plain if you’re serving the heat-averse. Once you’ve added either or any version of these modified plates to your take on Garten’s 10 recipe rule, the time will fly even faster each time you make it.
