Classic Parmesan Chicken
This treat is ridiculously easy with simple ingredients and it’s the juiciest chicken and perfect for a weekend meal. Chop your onions then set that aside and mince garlic cloves place in a saucepan over medium heat and add oil then the chopped onions and let that cook until slightly golden then add minced garlic until fragrant.
Add good-quality crushed tomatoes with spices bring the mixture to a light boil reduce the heat to a simmer and cook partially covered for 15 minutes. For the chicken, you will need two large breasts the cut them half lengthwise to get four cutlets, if your cutlets are uneven or very large, you can pound then for even thickness.
Lightly season both sides of your cutlets the set up a simple breading standing, on a shallow bowl, combine all-purpose flour, sea salt, and black pepper and stir the mixture to combine. In a second shallow bowl, beat two large eggs until frothy then in the third bowl combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
To bread, the chicken, dip the first cutlet in the flour mixture and tap off excess then transfer to the beaten eggs and then to the cheesy breadcrumbs pressing the cutlets into the breading to ensure a thick even coating of crumbs and make sure your bread both sides.
For the sauce, stir in one chopped tablespoon of fresh basil then turn off the heat. Place a large pan over medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan then add the chicken and sautee for three to four minutes per side depending on the cutlet of the chicken or until the chicken is golden brown on the outside then take the chicken off the heat.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit on a 9 by 13 casserole dish, spread half of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the pan, and place the sauteed chicken in a single layer over the sauce then spoon the remaining sauce generously over the centre of each chicken cutlet.
Top with a generous one cup of mozzarella cheese then bake uncovered at the centre of a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. This dish is best served with pasta so your pasta should be ready when the dish is out of the oven.
Garnish the top with fresh parsley and basil then serve the spaghetti on a plate and spoon the sauce over the spaghetti then spoon the chicken over the spaghetti and serve. This is the perfect simple dinner, its elegant with really simple ingredients.
Ingredients;
- 2 chicken breasts (large), about 1 1/2 lbs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 large eggs beaten until frothy
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated
- 2 Tbsp Light olive oil to sauté
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese (1 cup shredded)
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil or parsley, chopped for optional garnish
Instructions;
- Trim chicken breasts and slice in half length-wise so you end up with 4 equal-thickness cutlets. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a shallow bowl, stir together 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. In a second bowl, whisk 2 eggs until frothy. In a third bowl, stir together 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
- Dip both sides of each chicken cutlet into the flour, tapping off excess, then dip in beaten eggs, letting excess egg drip off and finally dip into the cheesy breadcrumbs, pressing cutlets into breading to ensure a thick, even coating of crumbs.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, add chicken in batches (don’t crowd the pan), sautéing 3-4 min per side, or until golden brown and just cooked through.
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of marinara into a 9×13 casserole baking dish. Arrange chicken over sauce in a single layer. Top each chicken down the centre with the remaining 1 1/2 cups marinara, then cover with shredded mozzarella.
- Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil if desired.