kitchen, cooking, cleaning tips: Chicken Parmesan

I wanted to serve a hearty meal for friends who were coming for dinner. I decided to make Chicken Parmesan and fresh steamed broccoli. My girlfriend brought a salad and fresh garlic bread to complete the meal. The chicken was perfectly cooked - moist and tender with a crunchy outside. The sauce was tangy and filled with mushrooms and the oozing cheese was delicious. If you don't feel like making the sauce or if you don't have a lot of time, use your favorite store bought spaghetti sauce - it works great too. The chicken was a huge hit with our friends and my family. A fantastic dinner!

Sauce:

Roasted Tomato and Onion Marinara
1 tsp olive oil
8 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced

Click on the link above for the roasted tomato and onion marinara recipe. While the tomatoes and onions are roasting, sauté the mushrooms. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Season with a bit of salt and set aside. Once the tomatoes and onions are roasted, place in the Dutch oven and finish making the sauce. Make sure you blend the sauce with the immersion blender BEFORE you add the sauteed mushrooms. Simmer the mushroom marinara for a few hours.

4 chicken breasts
2 eggs - beaten
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried basil, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Cooking spray
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I use lower fat)
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh Basil, chopped for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Trim chicken breasts of all fat. Cut each breast into two pieces. Heat large pan on medium heat; coat the pan with cooking spray and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to the beaten egg and mix. Add the grated Parmesan and dried basil to the bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Dip chicken into eggs and then into bread crumbs. Add to pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Make sure to spray the pan with cooking spray when you turn the chicken over.

In large baking dish add some spaghetti sauce and spread evenly over the bottom of the dish. Add chicken and top each piece with more sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the chicken then top with Parmesan cheese.