Double Chicken Parm with Spicy Giardiniera
Are you ready to experience the ultimate comfort food? Look no further than the perfect Double Chicken Parm with a kick of spicy Giardiniera. This mouthwatering dish combines the classic flavors of chicken Parmesan with a twist of heat, making it a favorite among spice enthusiasts. Whether you’re craving a satisfying weeknight meal or hosting a dinner party, this recipe is sure to impress.
How did this sandwich come about?
I have this thing with some of my friends where we get together and do a crawl of breweries and chicken parms in a city and we call it “Parmageddon”. I believe we have had about 3 parmageddons in the beforetimes and we intend to restart this tradition now that we all can travel again.
Wanting to name a sandwich after this tradition, it took a bit for me to come up with one good enough for that namesake. Most good chicken parms are classic, even at more upscale places. When people try and get too cheffy or modern with chicken parm it tends to lose what makes it good. I decided to keep it traditional but with a few simple upgrades.
The Parmageddon!
The first improvement was making it a double chicken parm to add extra crispy edges, extra cheese, and emulate the trendy double smash burger. I feel like most chicken parms are too bready so this was definitely an upgrade. I used a rustic Italian bread as the buns, but made sure to cut it so there wasn’t too much bread.
The next upgrade was treating the bread like garlic bread, with lots of butter, garlic, and herbs. And let’s not forget the star of the show – the spicy Giardiniera. With its blend of pickled vegetables and chili peppers, the Giardiniera adds a burst of flavor and heat to every bite.
As for the name Parmageddon, I noticed that there are 2 sandwiches named that already. One is from New Zealand and has pork schnitzel and the other is from right here in Columbus and is filled with pierogi and sauerkraut. Both of these sound delicious but I am confused as to why they took this amazing name that works so perfectly as a chicken parm?
Making the Homemade Giardiniera
Step one to making giardiniera is salting some veggies and letting them sit overnight.
Cauliflower, red pepper, jalapeno, carrot, shallot and lots of salt!
After salting the veggies, then rinsing them in the morning, you add the rest of the ingredients. You can see I added olive oil, vinegar, olives, parsley, and garlic. This tart condiment will cut through the heavy double chicken parm and really balance the sandwich!
If you like giardinera, here is another recipe I made with it recently for Italian sandwich soup.
Preparing the chicken for the double chicken parm
The best way to make chicken parm is to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Step one is to butterfly slice them so you end up with 2 or 3 thin cutlets from each chicken breast depending on how large it was to begin with. Then you put parchment paper above and below the cutlet and pound it even thinner! This is especially important since we are making it a double chicken parm. You need them nice and thin.
After that you bread it in flour, egg, and parmesan breadcrumbs, and pan fry it until crispy!
If you love chicken parm like me, check out my chicken parm sliders with pasta buns, chicken parm scotch egg, or chicken parm tacos!
Lets load up the double chicken parm!
Garlic bread first! Yes, we are infusing even more flavor here with garlic bread as the bun!
Then one of the chicken cutlets, then mozzarella, sauce, another cutlet, and provolone cheese.
Look at that double chicken parm! Finally load up that giardiniera and serve!
This chicken parm was so good Georgina started crying as she was eating it. It’s that good.
Twists on this sandwich
Spicy pickles would be good on this sandwich too. I was inspired by a fried chicken sandwich to add the giardiniera so it would make sense.
For more details on making a great homemade giardiniera, check out this recipe.
Double Chicken Parm with Spicy Giardiniera
Ingredients
GIARDINIERA
- 1 cup chopped cauliflower
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 1/4 cup thin sliced shallots
- 1/4 cup thin sliced jalapeno
- 1/4 cup thin sliced carrot
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup diced olives
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 clove garlic grated
CHICKEN
- 1 large chicken breast (or 2 smaller ones)
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- olive oil
BREAD
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- Butter
- dried oregano
- crushed red pepper flakes
- grated garlic
OTHER
- tomato sauce
- sliced provolone
- sliced mozzarella
Instructions
- Make the giardiniera- add the cauliflower, pepper, shallot, jalapeno, and carrot to a bowl and add in the vinegar and salt. Add some water until it covers the veggies. Refrigerate overnight. Strain the mixture and discard the liquid. Put the veggies in a new bowl with the olives and parsley and stir in the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and store in fridge until ready to use.
- Make the chicken – I had very large chicken breasts so I used one breast for 4 cutlets. I first cut the chicken in half, then sliced each piece in half sideways to make thinner pieces. Put some parchment on the work surface and add a piece of chicken. Top with another piece of parchment and gently pound with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin. You want these to be very thin. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
- Add the flour to one large bowl, the eggs to another, and the breadcrumbs and parm in a third. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the eggs, and then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Press the breadcrumbs into the chicken to make sure it is fully coated. Place on a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add some oil to a pan so it is a thick coating, about 1/4 inch deep. Bring to medium high heat. Shallow fry the chicken on each side to golden brown. Set aside on a rack.
- Cut the Italian bread into bun sized pieces. Melt the butter and stir in the oregano, grated garlic, and red pepper flakes to your personal taste. Brush the mixture on the pieces of bread.
- Warm up the tomato sauce in a pan or in the microwave.
- Preheat broiler to high. Broil the buns to golden brown. Top the chicken pieces with cheese, some with mozzarella and some with provolone. Broil to melt the cheese.
- Build the sandwich – bottom bun first, then a piece of chicken with mozzarella, then sauce, then chicken with provolone, then more sauce, then a heaping spoon of giardiniera. Add the top bun and serve.