Chicken Parmesan

I KNOW it's been a while since my last post, but I have been a little busy. There have been a few distractions that have kept me away in the last few months but here's to a new year!

In these chilly winter months, I find that all I want is something warm and cheesy and served with pasta...Enter my new go-to, Chicken Parmesan. It is fried and cheesy and served over pasta. How could it not be amazing? In addition, it is easy to make (you can use sauce from a jar or make the quick marinara that I use) and saves well....perfect for tomorrow's lunch! I usually serve it with a very simple green salad (romaine lettuce with a little parmesan cheese grated on top and then tossed with a vinaigrette dressing).

Here is your grocery list:

1 package of chicken breasts
1 onion
garlic
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
flour
bread crumbs (Italian style)
fresh mozzarella cheese (1 ball is fine)
parmesan cheese
eggs
linguine pasta
olive oil
romaine lettuce
vinaigrette dressing (or you can make one using the recipe on here)


Marinara Sauce:
-Dice onion and 3 cloves of garlic, saute in olive oil
-Add can of crushed tomatoes, simmer sauce on low while preparing chicken, salt and pepper to taste

Boil water for pasta at this point and put the noodles in the water when there is 10 minutes left on the chicken

Chicken
-Heat oven to 375
-Heat skillet to medium heat with about 1/3 cup of olive oil in it
-Scramble 1 egg in a casserole dish or plate with a low center
-Dip each chicken breast into the egg to coat
-Dip chicken breast into the flour to coat
-Dip chicken breast back into the egg to coat again
-Dip chicken break into the bread crumbs and press crumbs into the chicken
-Repeat for each breast
-Place the breaded chicken breasts into the hot olive oil in the skillet and cook for 4 minutes (without moving) on each side
-Ladle a few spoonfuls of red sauce into a casserole dish and place the sauteed chicken breasts on top of the layer of sauce
-Layer one or two slices (about 1/3-1/2 inch thick) mozzarella cheese on top of each chicken breast, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of that
-Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the parmesan has browned a little

Place a serving of pasta on each plate and top with red sauce. Place a parmesan/mozzarella chicken breast on top of that, and ladle a spoonful of sauce over the entire thing. Serve with your salad and feel free to heat up some french bread as well to have with it.

Enjoy and Happy Hostessing 2011!!