Name: Nicole Gomes's Winning Chicken Parmesan
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 oz each), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 2 large eggs; 1.5 cups Italian breadcrumbs (panko blend preferred); 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; 1 tsp kosher salt; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 0.5 tsp garlic powder; 2 cups whole milk marinara sauce; 2 cups whole milk mozzarella, shredded; 0.25 cup fresh basil, torn; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Calgary is not where you expect the chicken parm that ends Bobby Flay's winning streak to come from, but Nicole Gomes has built an entire restaurant — Cluck N Cleaver — around the proposition that Canadians understand fried chicken as well as anyone who's never heard of them. She is correct.

Gomes's chicken parm technique starts with a butterflied breast, pounded to an even half-inch — uniformity of thickness is the difference between a properly cooked piece of chicken and one that's raw in the center and dry at the edge. She dredges in seasoned flour, egg wash, and panko mixed with fine breadcrumbs at a 60/40 ratio, which gives the crust both crunch and adhesion. The sauce goes on in a thin layer before the mozzarella, not after, which prevents steam from lifting the cheese.

She also has another restaurant opening at YVR Airport in Vancouver, which means soon you'll be able to eat her cooking before you even clear Canadian customs. Bobby's chicken parm, per the broadcast, needed a passport to enter the winner's circle.