Chicken Muenster

You call it Parmesan, I call it Muenster. Chicken Parmesan is the most popular and most misleading of all Italian foods. I challenge any of you to find even a trace of Parmesan cheese in yours served in your favorite trattoria - no, mozzarella is the common go-to. And, it used to be my cheese of choice until I saw an episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate and someone picked a restaurant in New York that used muenster on their parmigiana. Intrigued, I tried it. It was supremely better. The muenster gives it a creamier, richer flavor. Now I wouldn't be caught dead using mozzarella on my Parmesan. Why the lie? I've no clue. But chicken with cheese by any other name wouldn't be as savory.

Created by the folks that brought us Leave it to Beaver, and undone by the popularity, color and camp of Batman, The Munsters ran from 1964-66 on CBS.Hard to believe that the show only lasted two seasons and 70 episodes (seems like a lot more in re-runs). I'm sure the concept of a wholesome working class family that resembled monster movie stars from the 1930s seemed like a sure thing. Starring Fred Gwynne as our head of household Herman and Yvonne Di Carlo as his enchanting Lily, visits to 1313 Mockingbird Lane always felt like everyday was Halloween. Rounding out the cast was Al Lewis as Grampa (who went on to own a trendy Italian restaurant in NYC in the late 80s that sadly lacked the vision or copyright to serve Chicken Munster), Butch Patrick as ghoulish son Eddie, and poor homely cousin Marilyn (played by two different actresses who must both have gotten bored out of her gourd while the rest of the cast spent hours on end in hair and make-up). Oh, and who could forget family pet Spot, the dragon under the stairs? One thing is for certain, the theme song is among the best in the biz...

The Recipe:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed and pounded to 1/4 in thick
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
4-6 slices muenster cheese
1/2 cup oil of choice
tomato sauce, warmed


Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Dredge the chicken in the flour (shaking off the excess), the egg and then the bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a 12 in saute pan over medium-high (or just hold over Spot's flame). Add the chicken and fry, turning once, until golden on both sides and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towel and drain. Remove the towels and top each piece of chicken with sauce and cheese. Bake the chicken until the cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve with pasta and more sauce. Serves 4.

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