1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (add at least 1 tablespoon salt). Once the water has come to a boil, add the pasta and boil until just al dente, 1 to 2 minutes less than the cooking time listed on the package. Before draining, reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water and set the reserved water and the cooked pasta aside (you can leave the pasta in the strainer).
2. Make the sauce: In the same pot that you cooked the pasta, combine the butter and olive oil over low heat. After about 4 minutes, add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until everything just starts to turn golden, another 2 minutes or so. Spoon in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens and smells caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the vodka and stir or whisk until it’s incorporated and cook down for several minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Slowly stir in the heavy cream (for a creamier consistency, add up to ¾ cup heavy cream or for a richer tomato taste, only add ½ cup). Season with the 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, and the Italian seasoning, then stir in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water, bring the sauce to a very slow simmer, and continue to stir, adding more of the reserved water as needed, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the Parmesan and remove from the heat.
3. Make the chicken: Place one of the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment paper and pound it with a mallet until the entire breast is ½-inch thick. Repeat the process with the second breast. Season the chicken all over with a few pinches each of salt and pepper.
4. Next, set up your breading stations using 3 shallow bowls. In one, combine the flour with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon each of the onion powder and garlic powder. In a second bowl, lightly whisk the eggs until frothy. In the third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with ½ teaspoon of salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon each of the onion powder and garlic powder, the Italian seasoning, and a few pinches of pepper, stirring to combine.
5. With one hand, which we’ll call your dry hand, dredge the chicken in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess. Using your other hand, now your “wet” hand, bathe the flour-coated chicken in the egg mixture, thoroughly coating it, then transfer the egg-coated chicken to the breadcrumb bowl. Now using your dry hand, sprinkle the chicken with some breadcrumbs and then fully coat it, pressing the breadcrumbs to fully adhere until the breast is coated. Transfer the breaded cutlet to a large plate or sheet pan and continue the process with the second breast.
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F. (You should have about ½-inch of oil in the skillet for a shallow fry, see page 23 for more on frying.) Transfer the breaded chicken to the oil and fry until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, flipping cutlets to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Over low heat, rewarm the pasta sauce, tossing in the cooked pasta water until the penne is cooked through and the sauce is warm. Add more pasta water or cream if needed to thin the sauce. When ready to plate, slice the crispy chicken cutlets into strips.
8. To serve, divide the pasta into shallow bowls and top with the chicken, then sprinkle with Parmesan, and garnish with a basil leaf. The pasta is best eaten right after cooking. Leftover chicken may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
