Chicken parmesan or chicken parmigiana () is a dish that consists of breaded chicken breast covered in

tomato sauce Tomato sauce (; ; ) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes. In some countries the term refers to a sauce to be served as part of a dish, in others it is a condiment. Tomatoes have a rich flavor, high water content, s ...

and

mozzarella Mozzarella is a Types of cheese#Semi-soft cheese, semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy. It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names: * or mozz ...

Parmesan Parmesan (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian Types of cheese#Hard cheese, hard, Types of cheese#Granular, granular cheese produced from Dairy cattle, cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a Grana (cheese), grana-type cheese, along wit ...

or provolone. Ham or

bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

is sometimes added. The dish originated in the

Italian diaspora The Italian diaspora (, ) is the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy. There were two major Italian diasporas in Italian history. The first diaspora began around 1880, two decades after the Risorgimento, Unification of Italy, and ended ...

in the United States during the early 20th century. It has been speculated that the dish is based on a combination of the Italian

parmigiana Parmigiana (, ), also called (), () or, in the United States and Canada, eggplant parmesan, is an Italian dish made with fried, sliced eggplant layered with Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. The origin of the dish is claimed by ...

, a dish using fried

eggplant Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...

slices and tomato sauce, with a '' cotoletta'', a breaded veal cutlet generally served without sauce or cheese in Italy. Chicken parmesan is included as the base of a number of different meals, including sandwiches and pies.

History

North America

Upon arriving in North America, Italian immigrants began to take advantage of the meat market, incorporating chicken into parmigiana. The dish, also known as "chicken parm", originated in the northeast United States from Italian immigrants, and became a popular staple in restaurants serving Italian-American cuisine by the 1950s.Petti di pollo alla Parmigiana under Piatti da Farsi. . Home versions also grew in popularity. A recipe was published in the 1953 issue of the '' New York Herald Tribune'' that used frozen fried chicken patties or fillets along with other processed foods to make a version of the dish at home. A recipe for chicken parmesan was published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in 1962. In the United States and Canada, chicken parmesan is often served as a

main course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...

, and sometimes with a side of, or on top of,

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

. Many restaurants also offer chicken parm sandwiches. In the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

, ''California Sandwiches'' is a chain specializing in beef, veal, and chicken parmesan sandwiches, so "California Sandwich" has become a generic term in that region.

Australia

Chicken parmigiana was known in Australia by the 1950s, and is often called parma, parmi or parmy in modern Australian parlance; its name varies from region to region. It was offered in restaurants in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

as early as 1953. It is regularly served as a main meal throughout Australia, where it is considered a staple of pub food. In a 2019 interview that was broadcast on ABC Radio Hobart, food historian Jan O'Connell believes that chicken parmigiana did not become a pub staple until the 1980s; before that time, it was primarily served in restaurants. Chicken parmigiana is typically served in Australia with a side of chips and

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...

, although there is some dispute as to whether the chips should be served under or next to the chicken. Its popularity has led to a specialized chicken parmigiana restaurant opening in Melbourne, and chicken parmigiana is the subject of reviews on dedicated websites which compare the dish as purchased from various pubs within a region.

Asian fusion cooking

In fusion cuisine, chicken parmesan has been modified to suit Asian taste preferences by the addition of a small amount of

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

(as a salt substitute) to the tomato-based sauce and sometimes served with a side of rice or stir-fried noodles. This dish is sometimes marketed in English-speaking areas as chicken katsu parmesan. Sometimes, the soy sauce is added instead to the egg wash for the chicken.

Similar dishes

Italy

Aside from

, a dish using breaded eggplant slices instead of chicken, there are other similar dishes in Italy that use meat. Pizzaiola is a dish derived from the Neapolitan tradition that features

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

topped with cheese and often cooked with

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es,

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

, garlic, and

white wine White wine is a wine that is Fermentation in winemaking, fermented without undergoing the process of Maceration (wine), maceration, which involves prolonged contact between the juice with the grape skins, seeds, and pulp. The wine color, colou ...

. Beef is used most often but it can be made with chicken and pork as well. A similar dish using veal is known in Italian as '' cotoletta alla bolognese'', which excludes tomato sauce but includes melted Parmesan cheese and prosciutto. ''Costolette alla parmigiana'' is another similar veal dish, but in Italy it is generally served without sauce or cheese.

United Kingdom

In England, parmo is a dish originating in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

that typically consists of fried breaded chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese instead of tomato sauce. Parmo may have originated from a dish that was similar to escalope parmesan, a derivative of chicken parmigiana.

Hungary

In Hungary, a chicken or pork cutlet breaded with a mix of flour and shredded potatoes, and topped with garlic,

sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

, and cheese is called ''mátrai borzaska'' () or ''borzas'' for short.

Argentina

In Argentina, a variation of '' milanesa a la napolitana'' is made with chicken instead of the usual beef, similar to chicken parmigiana. It is sometimes topped with ham, bacon or a fried egg and is usually served with french fries.

References

{{Chicken dishes Italian-American chicken dishes Italian-Canadian culture Italian-Australian culture