Chicken Parm

This meal is a staple in our house, even before the blog came along.  Its just so easy and I seem to always have the ingredients on hand.  I generally serve this with pasta, but a nice light salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil was a great compliment this time.  Ok so MAYBE, just MAYBE I also had a small helping of pasta...its not a crime! :)

I usually don't cook the chicken in a pan first, but it was a great way to ensure that the crust was crispy, which made it much better than my usual chicken parm.  This recipe was so incredibly easy and I encourage you to have breadcrumbs, chicken, cheese, and marinara on hand at all times...it will always make a delicious and quick meal!

ENJOY!

Chicken Parmigiana

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 chicken cutlets or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

S&P

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups jarred tomato sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

6oz mozzarella cheese, cut into eight 1/4 in thick slices

Heat broiler.  Combine bread crumbs and parm in a shallow bowl.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken in the beaten egg then dredge in breadcrumbs, turning to coat both sides.

Spread tomato sauce onto bottom of a baking dish.  Heat 2 T of oil in a non stick skillet over med heat.  Place chicken in skillet cook until golden brown on both sides.  Transfer to the baking dish.

Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella.  Broil about 4 inches from the heat source until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 5-8 min.

If you are using chicken breasts and not cutlets, they will need more time to cook.  I put mine in the oven for about 15 min before I put them under the broiler.  Just make sure you check to see if they are cooked through before eating them!

Serves 4.

Paige Rating: ***