Chicken Parmo

Chicken Parmo

Chicken Parmo is a beloved dish from the northeast of England, particularly Middlesborough.  It was developed in the 1950s by a chef of Italian descent, who had served in the British Army during World War II and settled in Middlesborough.  He opened a restaurant and this dish was inspired by the Italian-American classic Chicken Parmigiana, which is adapted using local ingredients and tastes.

Whilst the original recipe used deep-fried breaded chicken, we used a skillet to pan fry the chicken and then cover with béchamel sauce and finish with melted cheddar cheese.

The dish was originally served in a few takeaways in Middlesborough and spread across the North East and Yorkshire.  It’s considered a regional speciality and there is a celebration of this legendary dish at the annual World Parmo Championships.

This Chicken Parmo recipe is our version adapted for cooking on the Big Green Egg.

This recipe serves 2.

Method

1. We made the bechamel sauce indoors ahead of cooking the chicken.  To make the sauce, melt the butter and then add the flour.
2. Give it a good stir and allow it to cook out the flour.  This takes a few minutes and then the flour mix will start to bubble.
3. Gradually stir in the milk so you avoid getting lumps.  Once you’ve added all the milk, continue to stir and as the milk heats up the sauce will start to thicken.
4. Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the grated nutmeg.  Set aside.
5. Setup your Egg for an indirect cook at 200°C with the convEGGtor and stainless grid.
6. Preheat your pan with some oil.
7. Place the breadcrumbs, flour, and beaten egg with milk in three separate bowls.
8. Add the cayenne, paprika and garlic powder to the breadcrumbs and give it a good zhuzh!
9. Place your chicken breast between two sheets of cling film. Use a rolling pin or meat tenderiser to bash each chicken breast. This flattens the chicken breast so it has a larger surface area for the crispy coating and helps it to cook quicker.
10. Dredge the chicken breast in the flour, then dip it into the beaten egg followed by the breadcrumbs.  You want to ensure each side of the chicken breast is well covered in breadcrumbs.
11. Place the chicken in the pan and pop in the Egg for about 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs on the underside of the chicken breasts are crispy and brown.
12. Flip the chicken breasts over and cook for another 10 minutes.
13. If you’ve pre-cooked your bechamel sauce and the sauce has firmed up, now is a good time to reheat the bechamel sauce.
14. Once the second side of the chicken is nice and crispy, spoon over equal amounts of the bechamel sauce onto each chicken breast.  Sprinkle some grated cheese over each chicken breast.
15. Return to the Egg and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74°c.
16. If the cheese has not browned, pop under the grill for a couple of minutes or use a blowtorch to finish.
17. We served with some rocket on the side.