You don’t need bread crumbs in my take on chicken parm. The blend of finely and coarsely grated cheese with just a little flour creates a crunchy, savory crust. I love to serve this with Salsify in Lemon Butter (page 192).

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8

　　6-ounce block Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 cup all-purpose flour

　　2 large egg whites

　　Extra-virgin olive oil

　　8 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (each 1/2 inch thick)

　　

Step 1

Arrange an oven rack in the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

　　

Step 2

Using a box grater, grate half of the cheese on the small holes and the rest on the large holes. Put all the cheese in a shallow dish, along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup of the flour. Toss until evenly mixed. Spread the remaining flour in an even layer in another shallow dish. Whisk the egg whites in a shallow bowl until foamy.

　　

Step 3

Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with oil to a depth of 1/8 inch. Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge the flat, smooth side of each chicken breast in the plain flour, shake off the excess, then dredge in the egg, and finally press into the Parmesan mixture. Put the chicken, Parmesan side down, in the pan, spacing the breasts apart.

　　

Step 4

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the meat between the tender and breast is still rosy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully flip the breasts in the pan, and let stand for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.