Today, I will be sharing with you my Chicken Parmigiana recipe.  Wow!  This is the very first time I will be writing a blogpost about a dish I prepared.  Honestly, I've always wanted to do this ever since but my kitchen skills are just horrible.  I can even remember the time when I was still in high school and I tried to cook "palabok" which became a total epic fail because even our dog didn't care to eat it.  I don't want to elaborate further but the bottom line is, it was a disaster!  I was disappointed.  I felt embarrassed.  And I never tried cooking again since then.

I'm also scared of using knives (because of my unpleasant experience of having cuts) that's why chopping, mincing, dicing, or anything that has something to do with knives will take me forever to have it done.  I cannot tell when a meat is cooked, half cooked or if it still needs more time on the stove.  So whenever I cook, I just make it sure to get it well done (maybe a little bit over cooked but not to the point of tasting burnt).  And I have terrible tastebuds that cannot discern which spices or seasoning should be used to adjust the taste of my dish.  I am one clueless woman when it comes to cooking and the kitchen is my least favorite part of the house to stay in. 

I know exactly what's running on your mind right now:  "ang malas naman ng napangasawa nito."  I cannot agree more.  While I may have been the luckiest woman on earth for marrying my husband, I think it must have been unfortunate for him to have me as his wife.  And it hurts.  Truth hurts.  Cooking is one of my biggest frustrations in life.  I cannot even think how my husband can be so patient and understanding of my terrible cooking skills.  He must really love me that much!  And I wanted to be the woman who deserves that love that's why I am doing my best to learn how to cook.  So last friday, I asked for the Heavenly Father's divine intervention that I may not screw up with my dish and include this in my long list of failed kitchen attempts.  And my prayer was answered!  My dearest husband loved my first-ever Chicken Parmigiana and I was sooo happy I couldn't help smiling from ear to ear.  So I am going to gladly share with you below the recipe I used for this dish.

If there's one thing I realized about my terrible kitchen experiences in the past, perhaps it would be that cooking is a lot like love.  No matter how bad the food you cooked tasted, how embarrassed you felt, and how awful the experience was which made you swear you're never going to do it again, a day will come when someone special is going to inspire you to become a better version of yourself and will give you the courage to try it once more.  And seeing that person happy because he knew you have done a great job in something you're too scared to do, will make you tell yourself that he is definitely worth the try.

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

3 cups full cream milk

3 tbsp vinegar

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

salt and ground black pepper

Bread crumbs

Mozerella cheese

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 medium sized eggs

1/2 cup olive oil

500gm Tomato Sauce Guisado

10 ounces mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp basil

1 -  Split chicken breasts in half horizontally, place inside a plastic zipper-lock bag and pound with a meat pounder or the bottom of a skillet to an even 1/4-inch thickness. 

2 -  Prepare buttermilk mixture:  Add 3 cups full cream milk into a bowl with 3 tbsp vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes inside the refrigerator; do not mix.  After 5 mins, remove bowl from the ref and mix.  Add minced garlic and season with 1/2 tbsp salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper.  Put chicken into the bowl of buttermilk mixture making sure all chicken are well coated and refrigerate overnight.

3 -  The next day, combine breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese, and ground black pepper into a large shallow bowl.

4 -  Place flour in a second shallow bowl.  Whisk eggs in a third bowl.

5 - Working one piece at a time, remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and add to flour. Turn to coat, shake off excess, and add to egg mixture. Turn to coat, letting excess drip off, and add to breadcrumb mixture. Turn to coat, piling crumbs on top and pressing down firmly so a thick layer adheres. Transfer coated chicken to the wire rack and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

6 -  Preheat oven to 200°C.  Place sauce in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until barely simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.

7 -  Heat oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Working in batches, carefully add chicken by lowering the cutlets away from you into the oil. 

8 -  Cook until chicken is golden-brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer chicken to a paper-towel lined plate to drain and repeat with remaining chicken.

9 -  Spoon 1/3 of sauce onto the bottom of an oven-safe serving dish. Shingle chicken pieces on top of sauce. Top with more sauce, forming a line down the center and add mozzarella cheese.

10 -  Transfer to the oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 3 minutes, top with chopped herbs, and serve immediately.