My son, Will, loves chicken pizza. A lot. The kind where they chop up a breaded chicken cutlet and put it on top of the cheese and sauce. Me, on the other hand, I have always been unalterably opposed to the very idea. My up-to-now passionately held view on the subject is as follows: Since a slice of plain pizza is basically cheese and sauce on top of bread or crust, why would you then add another breaded element to it? In so doing the chicken pizza–maker is creating a dish that is basically bread on bread, a bread sandwich as it were.
Now, a full ten years after Will and I had begun discussing this vitally important pizza-related issue, I have to admit it: Chicken pizza doesn't suck. In fact, sometimes it hits the spot. What turned me around?
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The realization that chicken pizza is just a chicken Parm hero in pizza form. Think about it. A chicken Parm hero has the same component parts as a chicken pizza: breaded chicken cutlet, cheese, sauce, and bread.
So if you love a good chicken Parm as much as I do, you cannot be fundamentally opposed to the very idea of a chicken pizza. The logic track doesn't even hold up to loose scrutiny.
In fact, the problems I still have with chicken pizza are the same problems I have with most chicken Parm heroes: The chicken cutlet is reheated, soggy, and dry, all at the same time (and that's not easy).
So what can we conclude? There are probably as many bad chicken pizzas in the world as there are chicken Parm heroes. But that doesn't mean I can dismiss out of hand the very idea of chicken pizza.
Please forgive me, Will. As the late Jerry Orbach's character said in Dirty Dancing: “When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong.”
I'm with you, Jerry, especially when it comes to chicken pizza.
Related: Chicken Parm Hero Greatness!
Torrisi Italian Specialties Serves Chicken Parm Sandwiches for the Gods
For me the gold standard of chicken Parmesan is the sandwich Mary Lou Cappeza served at the late, great Corona Heights Pork store. The Torrisi's version comes perilously close. Why? The chicken cutlets are fried in good old Progresso bread crumbs, then topped with slices of housemade mozzarella and long-simmered tomato sauce seasoned with fresh basil. The sandwich's secret weapon here is the soft Parisi semolina roll, which makes a perfect foil for the crispy chicken cutlet. [SENY »]
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Cook the Book: Northern Fried Chicken
[Photograph: Caroline Russock]
All of you fried chicken traditionalist out there take warning: This is not a typical Southern fried chicken recipe. There are ingredients and techniques within this recipe for Northern Fried Chicken from Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg that will go against all previous fried chicken notions.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to the genius and timeliness of this recipe. In the week following Easter folks are always looking for creative uses for their leftover eggs, but this recipe addresses another holiday leftover: Passover matzo. The Bromberg Brothers' fried chicken is coated in a mix of matzo meal and flour, which gives it a crust that is worlds away from your typical fried chicken. It's lighter and crisp in a way that brings to mind a cornmeal crust. Using egg whites to adhere the coating to the chicken ensures that the crust stays put, even if your chicken sticks to the bottom of the frying pan. The last bit of atypical preparation is sprinkling the hot chicken with the Bromberg's Fried Chicken Seasoning once it comes out of the fryer. Since the coating isn't seasoned at all, this post-fry application of the Old Bay-like spice mix is where the majority of the flavor comes from.
So, there you have it: Northern Fried Chicken thought up by two French trained Jewish boys from New Jersey. This fried chicken was like no other recipe I've ever attempted at home, or eaten out for that matter, but it was really tasty. On the scale of making fried chicken it wasn't all that time consuming since there was no need to soak or preseason. All and all, pretty good, and even better when served with some honey as the Brombergs recommend.
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Northern Fried Chicken
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Bromberg Bros.Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg.
Ingredients
6 cups soy oil
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast pieces)
4 large egg whites, whisked
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Perfect Roast Seasoning (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon Fried Chicken Seasoning (recipe follows)
Mexican honey (or any honey you prefer), for serving
Procedure
1. Fill a large pot with about 3 inches of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fat thermometer reads 375°F.
2. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Place the egg whites in a large shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the matzo meal, flour, and baking powder. Dip each chicken piece in egg white and let excess drip back into the bowl. Next press each chicken piece into the matzo mix and tap off excess.
3. Working in 2 batches, if necessary, fry the chicken until dark golden, about 10 minutes for white meat and 13 minutes for dark meat. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle immediately with the perfect roast seasoning, then coat the pieces with the fried chicken seasoning. Serve with gravy if you like, and honey, for dipping.
Perfect Roast Seasoning
- makes about 2/3 cup -
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Procedure
Combine the salt, pepper, and thyme, and store in a covered container.
Fried Chicken Seasoning
- makes about 3 tablespoons -
Ingredients
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Procedure
Combine the paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, basil, and cayenne
pepper, and store in a covered container.
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