Crispy Frico Chicken Breasts With Mushrooms and Thyme

By Dawn Perry

Updated Feb. 26, 2020

Crispy Frico Chicken Breasts With Mushrooms and Thyme
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(1,830)
Comments
Read comments

The Italian word “frico” describes cheese that is cooked until toasted and crisp — but what results is something like the greatest cheese wafer you’ve ever had. That technique is applied here to boneless, skinless chicken breasts to give them a boost in flavor and texture. Like any properly cooked protein, the frico exterior will release easily from the skillet when it’s ready, so wait for it. Umami-heavy mushrooms are a great accompaniment, but any quick-cooking vegetable will work. Try chopped zucchini or whole cherry tomatoes in the summer, slow-wilting greens like curly kale or mustard greens in fall, or go all in with a ton of onions.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about ½ cup), plus more as needed
  • 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1½ to 2 pounds)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 4tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1pound mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, oyster or maitake, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1red onion, halved and cut into ½-inch wedges
  • 4fresh thyme or oregano sprigs
  • 2teaspoons red wine vinegar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

476 calories; 24 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 55 grams protein; 886 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees and place the Parmesan on a plate. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in Parmesan and turn to coat, patting to help it stick.

  2. Step 2

    In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer chicken to a plate.

  3. Step 3

    Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms, onion and herbs, and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally and scraping up any cheese that may be stuck to the pan, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Place chicken on top of vegetables and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the vinegar to the vegetables and toss to combine; serve with chicken.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,830 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Joanie

Delicious but here is one piece of advice I recommend: Place your chicken in an egg wash before coating it with the Parmesan. That way, the cheese will stick to the chicken. Also, I used chicken tenders, slightly pounded. It came out very tender and yummy!

Jordan

Even though the coating stuck to the pan quite a bit for me, this was still delicious - those toasty bits of cheese just made the pan juices that much more tasty. One recommendation: instead of vinegar at the end, add dijon mustard instead. That served as just enough of an emulsifier that the pan drippings coalesced into a very luxurious sauce. Glad I followed my instincts on that one - it was delicious!

LisabushF

Simple, relatively quick, and tasty! I only baked it for 6 minutes in the oven, because of too much time spent on the stove. Next time, I more will be sure the oil is hot enough to sear the meat quickly. The red wine vinegar adds a bright balance to the rich, mushroomy dish.

John

Shaved a few minutes off pan frying. Roasted in oven for 10 minutes with mushrooms. Served with farro and sautéed broccoli w garlic. Omitted red wine vinegar, but thickened mushrooms with a Tbl of Dijon. Result overwhelmed the four sprigs of thyme. Overall, chicken and mushrooms had strong umami taste that felt a bit heavy. Wine vinegar may dial this down a bit.

Betsy

Wanted to like this more than we did. After searing on both sides for 5 min/side, the chicken had a nice crust, but turned out pretty tough. Used a probe to monitor temp in the oven and took less time than prescribed. Might try this with skin on to get crisp cheesy skin and protect the meat from getting tough. Mushrooms were delicious and don't skip the red wine vinegar - it makes the dish!

Wendy

Easy, relatively quick to prep and cook, and delicious. Will make again. After reading others' suggestions, cooked as-written with the following changes: Coated chicken in mayo before pressing on parm. Used dried thyme, and Penzey's Mural of Flavor seasoning on the veggies (plus s&p). Before taking veggies off the burner, added a few minces cloves of garlic, and sauteed until fragrant. Added a good squirt of Dijon mustard to the red wine vinegar, as well as more thyme and Mural of Flavor.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.