Chicken parmesan over pasta finished in tomato sauce

Saute the chopped onion about three minutes, until translucent.

Add the garlic and saute about 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste and chili flake and saute about a minute.

Add the canned tomatoes, stir and crush them, bring to a simmer over medium heat, then lower to a bare bubble.

Add the dried oregano, basil stems and a cup of water and simmer about 45 minutes until the flavours meld and mellow.

Lay the chicken breasts on plastic wrap and butterfly them, cutting from the rounded side towards the flat side and opening like a book.

Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound out flat with a meat pounder, so they cook quickly and evenly and have more surface to bread.

Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and set aside.

Beat the eggs with a little sprinkle of flour to make an egg slurry that adheres better.

Spread panko on a rimmed baking sheet with a generous sprinkle of pre-grated Parmesan.

Whisk garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil and pepper into the flour.

Using one hand for wet and one for dry, coat each piece in flour, then egg slurry, then breadcrumbs, covering every nook and cranny.

variation: for an extra crispy crust, double dip back into the egg and once more into the breadcrumbs.

Leave the chicken in the breadcrumbs until ready to fry, to strengthen the coating.

Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper, no sugar; remove the basil stems and keep warm.

Heat the peanut oil to 350F and fry the chicken about five minutes until deeply golden and cooked through.

Drain on paper towels to soak up excess oil and keep them crisp; repeat with the rest.

Preheat the broiler. Set the cutlets on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and top with fresh basil, then slices of fresh mozzarella, then freshly grated Parmesan.

Broil a few minutes.

Boil the pasta. Heat a few ladlefuls of sauce in a saute pan over medium until bubbling, add the pasta a minute shy of done with about half a cup of pasta water and finish cooking it in the sauce, which emulsifies it.

Off the heat, add chopped basil, shaved Parmesan and the butter.

Plate the cutlets on the pasta and sauce on top of the cheese, so the crust stays crisp; finish with shaved Parmesan and fresh basil.