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1
Cut off any fat, bone, and gristle remaining on the chicken thighs.
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2
Place two thighs between two sheets of plastic wrap.
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3
Pound them lightly with the toothed side of a meat mallet to a more or less even thickness.
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4
Dont over-pound the thighs or they will shred and be difficult to bread and cook.
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5
Repeat with the remaining thighs.
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6
Season the chicken thighs lightly with salt and pepper.
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7
Spread out the flour and bread crumbs on two separate plates.
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8
Beat the eggs in a wide, shallow bowl until thoroughly blended.
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9
Dredge the chicken in flour to coat lightly and tap off excess flour.
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10
Dip the thighs in the beaten egg and hold them over the bowl, letting the excess egg drip back into the bowl.
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11
Transfer the chicken, one piece at a time, to the plate of bread crumbs; turn it to coat with bread crumbs, patting gently and making sure that each thigh is well coated with bread crumbs.
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12
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a corner of one of the coated thighs gives off a lively sizzle when dipped in the oil.
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13
Add to the oil as many of the chicken pieces as fit without touching.
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14
Fry, turning once, until golden on both sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
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15
Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and drain well.
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16
Remove the paper towels from the baking sheet.
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17
Top each chicken thigh with overlapping slices of tomato, dividing the tomato evenly.
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18
Drape the sliced cheese over the tomatoes to cover the chicken completely.
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19
(The chicken parmigiana can be prepared to this point up to several hours in advance.
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20
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.)
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21
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
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22
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide, nonreactive skillet.
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23
Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and drop them into the oil.
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24
Cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
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25
Carefully slide the chopped tomatoes into the skillet, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
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26
Remove from the heat and set aside.
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27
Bake the chicken until the cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
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28
While the chicken is baking, reheat the tomato sauce to simmering, stir in the basil, and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
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29
Spoon the sauce onto a heated platter or plates, and place the chicken over the sauce.
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30
Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the sauce and serve immediately.
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31
Pound four 5-ounce pork or veal cutlets with a meat mallet, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
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32
Bread, brown, and bake the cutlets as described above, and serve them with the same fresh tomato sauce.
