Neighbor's Favorite: Chicken Parmesan Romano

"A couple of years ago, I was thinking of making chicken Parmesan, but when I was in the grocery store, I saw the processed chicken patties and knew they wouldn't work. That was the night Chicken Parmesan Romano was born," Yuba-Sutter native Dennis Hauck said. "I made the recipe on my own. I thought: this goes good with that, and I'm a big fan of balsamic vinegar."

But those weren't his only reasons for creating the recipe. "I have this strong love for fried chicken, and this is a healthier version of fried chicken because it's fried in olive oil."

While many people know Dennis — he's Yuba City's traffic control officer, and he's very active in the community — not everyone knows that he's a whiz in the kitchen. "I like to cook. I'm a big fan of anything Italian. I like the pasta and the sauces."

Dennis explained his preparation process succinctly. "The Chicken Parmesan Romano I'm making has chicken breasts that I'm going to bread with Italian bread crumbs and fry in olive oil. After it's fried, I'll take it off the heat and let the breasts cool a bit.

"Then I'll cut them open and stuff them with Parmesan and Romano cheeses. After that, I'll put them on a baking sheet, so they're ready to go into the oven that's been preheated to 400 degrees, where they'll stay for about 15 to 20 minutes to melt the cheese that's inside.

"I also cover them with fresh grated garlic, some more shredded Parmesan cheese, then to top it all off and give it some zip, I sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar."

And all of that is neatly laid out next to a bed of fettuccine, and parallel lines of Alfredo and spaghetti sauces are ladled over them both.

It's a simple and tasty dish that goes great at intimate dinners as well as large parties. Dennis said he's made the meal for 20 people, and they all loved it.

The longer version of the cooking process goes this way.

The first thing Dennis does is break three eggs into a small bowl. He whips them while the olive oil he poured into a large frying pan heats. Next to the eggs, he has filled a dish with Italian bread crumbs.

After dipping the large pieces of chicken breast into the egg, he coats the meat thoroughly with the bread crumbs. He said it's better to use thick breasts, because the thin ones cook a little too quickly, which makes it harder to stuff the cheese into them, and there's a good chance they'll overcook and dry out.

Dennis cooks the breasts for about three or four minutes on each side before transferring them to a baking sheet, where he lets them cool for a few minutes.

The chicken breasts will still be a little pink inside after they're taken out of the hot oil, which is OK, Dennis said. "If you cook the breasts all the way through in the olive oil, the chicken will really dry out in the oven."

While the chicken was frying, he started heating the water for the fettuccine. "The chicken is served with a bed of fettuccine next to it. I do something kind of unique with the fettuccine; I serve it with both a red and a white sauce over the top." You can use any pasta you like, but Dennis prefers the fettuccine.

Cheese is a vital part of the recipe, with Parmesan and Romano cheeses slices stuffed into the chicken and more Parmesan spread on the top. The cheeses can be cut ahead of time or while the chicken is cooling. Dennis said to use equal parts of Parmesan and Romano cheese in each breast. "These are nice, hard cheeses with a lot of aroma, and they just taste great."

He added that you can put in however much cheese you like, but for him, "There's no such thing as too much cheese in my book."

After stuffing the chicken, Dennis puts a small pat of butter on each breast and spoons on the garlic. "I'm very generous with the garlic. I put about a tablespoon full on each piece. Then I top it with the shredded Parmesan, followed by the balsamic vinegar. I just drizzle it over the top of each piece.

"If you don't want to buy a separate package of Parmesan cheese, you can grate the cheese or even use the Kraft sprinkle-on cheese for the top," he said.

Then it's into the 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the breasts are golden brown.

Once the baking is complete, the chicken breasts are ready to go on the plates, where they'll sit next to a bed of fettuccine.

For Dennis, the presentation is almost as important as the taste. That's why he carefully ladles on lines of Alfredo and spaghetti sauces. "For the red and the white sauces, you can use your favorite sauces. I like to use a roasted garlic Alfredo for the white sauce and an off-the-shelf Ragu for the red sauce."

• DENNIS HAUCK'S PARMESAN ROMANO CHICKEN WITH FETTUCCINE

This recipe is an economical meal that will feed a family of four to six. Preparation time is minimal, and from start to table takes 30 to 40 minutes. The cost for the meal is less than $20.

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless thick chicken breasts

3 eggs

5 ounces Italian bread crumbs

2/3 cup olive oil

2 ounces hard Parmesan cheese

2 ounces hard Romano cheese

8 cups water

26-ounce jar meatless spaghetti sauce (use your favorite flavor/brand)

15-ounce jar Alfredo pasta sauce (use your favorite flavor/brand)

8 ounces dry fettuccine or other pasta

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons crushed or minced garlic

2 ounces shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Ground sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. While the oil is heating, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork until well mixed. On a plate, evenly distribute the bread crumbs. Cover each of the chicken breasts one at a time by dipping them first into the egg and then rolling in the bread crumbs.

Place the breaded chicken breasts in the olive oil once it's hot. Cook the chicken for three to four minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and set aside to cool.

Slice the Parmesan and Romano cheeses into small strips (six of each flavor). Put the spaghetti sauce into a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the Alfredo sauce into a small saucepan over low heat. Bring the water to a boil in a large pan for the noodles. Place the noodles into the boiling water and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Set aside a large baking dish for final assembly. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise along the side to create a pocket, being careful not to slice all the way through to the other side. Stuff each chicken breast with one-sixth of the hard Parmesan cheese and one-sixth of the hard Romano cheese. Place the chicken on the baking dish.

Put a small pat of butter on top of each of chicken breast. Evenly distribute the crushed or minced garlic on top of the chicken breasts. Evenly distribute the shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese on top of the chicken breasts.

Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place one breast on each serving plate along with a cup of pasta. Cover both the pasta and chicken in stripes of warm spaghetti sauce and Alfredo sauce.

Serve immediately with your favorite wine.

• • •

Dennis, a 1989 graduate of Wheatland Union High School, has spent the past 18 years in law enforcement, starting with the Yuba County Sheriff's Department, the Marysville Police Department and now the Yuba City Police Department.

"I feel that I make a difference by making the community a safer place, especially with my desire to work traffic enforcement. The reason I like working traffic enforcement is if I can keep one kid from being involved in a injury collision, I think I've done my job, and I know in my mind I've done that."

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter John Hollis at 741-2400 or jhollis@appealdemocrat.com.