Chicken Parmesan

[dickinson]

Last month while on the Sky Princess, quarantined in my room with Covid, I ordered chicken parmesan off the MDR menu for my dinner.  It was as expected, boneless.  My dh, eating in the MDR had a bone in his.  When questioning the waiter and also the assistant restaurant manager (she was coming to the table to help our cousin because of food allergies) they said they only make it with a bone in.  Sounds weird as mine was boneless.  

 

What have you experienced?

[JF - retired RRT]

Are you sure they delivered chicken. It could have been veal.

[azbirdmom]

I had chicken parmesan in the dining room this year and it was definitely boneless.  They used to have another chicken dish on the Italian night MDR menu that had a bone but when it's been chicken parmesan it's always boneless.

[cruisinsince75]

Laughing.  I ordered a tuna melt one time on the menu at lunch and it arrived without cheese on it and it was cold.  I told the waiter and he said it doesn't come with cheese.  I asked then what part of the sandwich was a melt?  He brought another one back with a slice of cheese on it.  Still cold and un-melted.  I gave up and just had a tuna sandwich!  😁

Edited Wednesday at 03:29 PM by cruisinsince75

[DCThunder]

27 minutes ago, cruisinsince75 said:

Laughing.  I ordered a tuna melt one time on the menu at lunch and it arrived without cheese on it and it was cold.  I told the waiter and he said it doesn't come with cheese.  I asked then what part of the sandwich was a melt?  He brought another one back with a slice of cheese on it.  Still cold and un-melted.  I gave up and just had a tuna sandwich!  😁

You could have gone all Jack Nicholson in "Five Easy Pieces" and asked for a chicken sandwich on toast, hold the chicken!😉

[Torfamm]

When I've had it in the MDR they used an airline chicken breast.  Maybe the wing section had been removed or somehow separated from the order you received?

[dickinson]

My piece was definitely chicken.  Dh definitely had a bone.  The assistant restaurant manager checked with the chef who said it is always made with a bone.  Frankly I think they must have run out of boneless for some reason and I was one of the lucky ones.  Dh says his was covered in sauce and cheese but was white meat.  He didn't see any wing.  The assistant restaurant manager was supposed to check to see where mine came from but never got back to us.  

 

Oh, and dh just reminded me that when he got a bone he sent it back and the new plate also had a bone.  That is when they checked with the chef.  We don't remember if we have ever seen chicken parmesan on a previous cruise.  

[Moondogy]

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

You could have gone all Jack Nicholson in "Five Easy Pieces" and asked for a chicken sandwich on toast, hold the chicken!😉

DW and I went to a mexican restaurant one time and she ordered a taco salad without the lettuce once...she was serious until I reminded her she was ordering a salad 🤣

[azbirdmom]

2 hours ago, dickinson said:

My piece was definitely chicken.  Dh definitely had a bone.  The assistant restaurant manager checked with the chef who said it is always made with a bone.  Frankly I think they must have run out of boneless for some reason and I was one of the lucky ones.  Dh says his was covered in sauce and cheese but was white meat.  He didn't see any wing.  The assistant restaurant manager was supposed to check to see where mine came from but never got back to us.  

 

Oh, and dh just reminded me that when he got a bone he sent it back and the new plate also had a bone.  That is when they checked with the chef.  We don't remember if we have ever seen chicken parmesan on a previous cruise.  

That's really odd.  You don't melt cheese all over something with a bone in it.  I've only seen chicken parmesan on the menu in the last year and it's not there on every ship.  As I said before they had a different chicken dish on Italian night, mostly it was filled with ham and cheese with a light gravy on top so you could see the bone.

[VibeGuy]

Definitely using an airline cut breast where the first bone of the wing (drumette) is left on to give the plate a little dimension. 

[JeffElizabeth]

6 hours ago, cruisinsince75 said:

Laughing.  I ordered a tuna melt one time on the menu at lunch and it arrived without cheese on it and it was cold.  I told the waiter and he said it doesn't come with cheese.  I asked then what part of the sandwich was a melt?  He brought another one back with a slice of cheese on it.  Still cold and un-melted.  I gave up and just had a tuna sandwich!  😁

We have never had good luck with room service. Cold, items missing, late. Just prefer to eat in the dining room.

[Coral]

7 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

I had chicken parmesan in the dining room this year and it was definitely boneless.  They used to have another chicken dish on the Italian night MDR menu that had a bone but when it's been chicken parmesan it's always boneless.

They had turkey parmesan for a long time on the Italian menu. It was boneless. There may have been another chicken dish that I can't think of.

 

My guess is the cooks see pictures of chicken, sauce and cheese and take whatever piece of chicken they can find and make it with that.

Edited Wednesday at 11:01 PM by Coral

[Colorado Coasty]

After reading this, I am curious as to why this is an issue or even a topic for discussion. Did someone choke on a bone? Why would you send back a chicken dish because there was a bone in it.

Oh well, I guess it's just me.

[edspec]

Meat with a bone seems to have become an issue of late.  I don't get it.  I don't ever buy/order boneless pieces of meat unless I have no choice as boneless pieces do not have as much flavor.  Perhaps it's a result of children's meals which don't require utensils...something which has caused widespread loss of manual dexterity since for the most part children no longer need to use knives and forks if they're not eating at home.

I also don't understand the appeal of a filet mignon.  Yes, it's tender but no taste.  Why anyone wants to cut a steak with a fork is beyond me. Give me a ribeye, or skirt or chuck eye if I'm on a budget.  

I'm a big fan of chuck roasts, lamb shoulder roasts, the above mentioned steaks, chicken and turkey thighs, pork shoulder steaks...all cuts with lots of flavor and very forgiving to the cook.  And cheap to boot...one of the few things in life where cheaper is better. Ok, exception, I'm very fond of short ribs on the bone and they're expensive.

[stoneharborlady]

59 minutes ago, Colorado Coasty said:

After reading this, I am curious as to why this is an issue or even a topic for discussion. Did someone choke on a bone? Why would you send back a chicken dish because there was a bone in it.

Oh well, I guess it's just me.

Chicken parm is supposed to be pounded very thin, then coated in bread crumbs and fried.  It does not have a bone in it.

[Colorado Coasty]

9 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

Chicken parm is supposed to be pounded very thin, then coated in bread crumbs and fried.  It does not have a bone in it.

Yes, I agree but is not something I would bring to the attention of a manager. I might make a comment to the waiter and then not order it again but I would not send it back.

[stoneharborlady]

4 minutes ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Yes, I agree but is not something I would bring to the attention of a manager. I might make a comment to the waiter and then not order it again but I would not send it back.

Your choice of course.  On the other hand, my choice would be to explain to the waiter, and send it back and order something else.  How can you pound something very thin, if it has a bone in it.

[Rick&Jeannie]

47 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

Chicken parm is supposed to be pounded very thin, then coated in bread crumbs and fried.  It does not have a bone in it.

100% agree!

[Kay S]

Note to self: do not order Chicken Parm.

[leck57]

11 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

After reading this, I am curious as to why this is an issue or even a topic for discussion. Did someone choke on a bone? Why would you send back a chicken dish because there was a bone in it.

Oh well, I guess it's just me.

 

no, not just you. I was thinking the same.

Must be a quiet complaint day.

[stoneharborlady]

5 minutes ago, leck57 said:

 

no, not just you. I was thinking the same.

Must be a quiet complaint day.

I think you are missing the point.  Rather than a complaint, the point is that what is served is not what is on the menu.  Example would be the menu offering lobster tail, and being served shrimp instead.  Or the menu offering steak, and being served hamburger.  

[dog]

Bone in- chicken cacciatore 

[dickinson]

49 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

I think you are missing the point.  Rather than a complaint, the point is that what is served is not what is on the menu.  Example would be the menu offering lobster tail, and being served shrimp instead.  Or the menu offering steak, and being served hamburger.  

Thank you.  You are right... it was not a complaint.  Just wanted to know what others were served because I got what was expected (while in my room quarantined but ordered off MDR menu) but dh eating in MDR got something different.  It was just a simple question.

[azbirdmom]

3 hours ago, dickinson said:

Thank you.  You are right... it was not a complaint.  Just wanted to know what others were served because I got what was expected (while in my room quarantined but ordered off MDR menu) but dh eating in MDR got something different.  It was just a simple question.

No need to explain.  Cruise Critic is filled with questions that folks ask about all facets of cruising.  Some of those questions may not interest folks and the vast majority will just move on to look for topics that are more appealing / meaningful to them.  For whatever reason some feel the need to question others about why they post.  At the moment my post should be #24 on this thread so there are definitely folks who do want to talk about this.  And I still scratch my head wondering how someone in the kitchen can possibly cover something with a bone with sauce and cheese.

[XBGuy]

delete

Edited 22 hours ago by XBGuy