Chicken parmesan facts for kids
Chicken parmigiana from an American restaurant
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| Alternative names | Chicken parmigiana |
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| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | chicken breast, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan |
Chicken parmesan, also called chicken parmigiana, is a yummy dish. It features a breaded chicken breast. This chicken is covered in tomato sauce. Then, it's topped with mozzarella, parmesan, or provolone cheese. Sometimes, people add ham or bacon too!
This dish first appeared in the early 1900s. It was created by Italian immigrants who moved to other countries. Some people think it mixes two Italian ideas. One is parmigiana di melanzane, which uses fried eggplant with tomato sauce. The other is a cotoletta, a breaded meat cutlet. In Italy, cotoletta is usually served without sauce or cheese.
Chicken parmesan is very versatile. It can be the main part of many meals. You can find it in sandwiches or even pies. Some restaurants even have eating contests with this popular dish!
Contents
Where Chicken Parm is Popular
In North America
This dish, often called "chicken parm," started in the northeastern United States. Italian immigrants brought their cooking traditions there. By the 1950s, it became a favorite in Italian-American cuisine restaurants. Making it at home also became popular.
In 1953, a recipe was shared in the New York Herald Tribune. It showed how to make chicken parm using frozen chicken patties. Another recipe appeared in The New York Times in 1962.
In the United States and Canada, chicken parmesan is often a main course. It's sometimes served with pasta or on top of it. Many places also sell chicken parm sandwiches. When Italian immigrants came to America, meat was affordable. They started using chicken in their parmigiana dishes.
In Australia
Chicken parmigiana was known in Australia by the 1950s. Restaurants in Adelaide offered it as early as 1953. It's a common main meal across Australia. It's even considered a classic pub food. A food historian, Jan O'Connell, believes it became a pub favorite in the 1980s. Before that, it was mostly found in restaurants.
In Australia, chicken parmigiana usually comes with chips and salad. People sometimes debate if the sides should be under or next to the chicken. It's so popular that a special chicken parmigiana restaurant opened in Melbourne. There are even websites where people review the dish from different pubs! The dish has many nicknames like 'parmy', 'parmi', and 'parma'.
Different Ways to Make It
Asian Fusion Style
In fusion cuisine, chicken parmesan gets a new twist. Chefs add a little soy sauce to the tomato sauce. This makes it taste a bit different, like Asian flavors. Sometimes, it's served with rice or stir-fried noodles. In English-speaking areas, this version is sometimes called chicken katsu parmesan. The soy sauce might also be added to the egg wash for the chicken.
Similar Dishes Around the World
In Italy
Besides melanzane alla Parmigiana (eggplant parmesan), Italy has other similar meat dishes.
Carne pizzaiola is a dish from Naples. It has meat topped with cheese. It's often cooked with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and white wine. Beef is most common, but it can also be made with chicken or pork.
A similar dish using veal is cotoletta alla Bolognese. This one doesn't use tomato sauce. Instead, it has melted parmesan cheese and prosciutto. Costolette Parmigiana is another veal dish. But in Italy, it's usually served without sauce or cheese.
In the United Kingdom
In England, there's a dish called parmo. It comes from Middlesbrough. It's usually fried breaded chicken or pork. But instead of tomato sauce, it has a white béchamel sauce and cheese. Parmo started as escalope Parmesan, which came from chicken parmigiana.
In Argentina
In Argentina, there's a dish similar to chicken parmigiana. It's a type of milanesa a la napolitana. Instead of beef, it uses chicken. It's sometimes topped with ham, bacon, or a fried egg. It's usually served with french fries.
See also
In Spanish: Pollo parmesano para niños
