Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Parm

Cheese three ways: mozz stuffed inside, parmesan mixed into the coating, and more parm sprinkled on top. Oh yeah!

I grew up in New Jersey, home to a large Italian-American population. That means the air in certain residential neighborhoods and restaurant zones is perfumed with the zesty aromas of my very favorite foods, swimming in red gravy. (Yes, that’s the official I-A term for spaghetti sauce.)

I have cooked a lot of pasta over the years (and cacciatore and piccata etc.) and it’s all been darn tasty. But none of my kitchen creations has captured the essence of Jersey Italian dinnertime as well as today’s recipe for Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Parm, which comes from Lauren Miyashiro at Delish.

Let's get a closer look at all that cheese -- mmm!

Did you know that Chicken Parmesan/Parmigiana is not authentically Italian at all? (They lay claim to the original eggplant version.) Once upon a time, an Italian-American – hungry for the flavors his family brought over from the old country but working with the ingredients on hand – created the now ubiquitous chicken, cheese and red sauce extravaganza known and loved across the USA. 

Today’s version of the recipe keeps all the good stuff, just shifts things around a bit, with ingredients showing up in unexpected places. Creamy, stretchy mozzarella inside the chicken?? Yes, please. 

Baked and bubbling, right out of the oven. A touch overdone but still very tasty!

I’ll be adding this recipe to the Make Again file and will adopt these changes next time:

• Evenly sized chicken breasts. The pictures show I had one gigundo breast and one normal sized. It’s easier to manage cooking time when they’re all the same size.
• Add more liquid to the red sauce as it goes into the oven. The result this time was a slightly too-thick sauce that turned quite dark, almost like tomato paste.
• Stuff more mozzarella cheese inside the breasts; also sprinkle shredded mozz on top. Too much cheese? Never! 

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Are you ready for today's cook-along song, inspired by COVID-19? The band was also one of my favorites growing up back in Jersey. See how nicely the pieces all fit together? Now turn up the music and enjoy.
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The jazzy dinnertime playlist comes from New Jersey's favorite crooner, Ol' Blue Eyes himself. Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, and melted many hearts there in the Garden State and around the world. Here he collaborates with legendary pianist and bandleader, Count Basie.