Easy Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan and I go WAY back!!!
Years ago, when Mel was just a little girl with ponytails and an adorable gap between her two front teeth, she and I would spend every Saturday having a mother/daughter day.
Sometimes we would just hang out at home and watch a Disney movie on a rented VCR (WOW! I’m really aging myself here), or color in her many coloring books.
Other times, we would go into the city and do some shopping or catch a new movie at the theater. For a REALLY big splurge (money was always tight) – we would treat ourselves to lunch or dinner out. We had a few ‘favorite’ places that we liked to go, but Mel’s by far was the Olive Garden.
And no matter what she would always order the same thing-Fettucine Alfredo. No chicken. No shrimp. Just pasta and that dreamy creamy sauce.
Me? Well, I always ordered the same thing too. Chicken Parmesan. It was definitely a special treat for me because sadly, I hadn’t ever tried to make the dish at home.
It wasn’t until years later after Mel had grown up and gone off to college that I even attempted to make my own version of this yummy dish. I say ‘attempted’ because the first time I tried it didn’t exactly turn out.
Several tweaks and a whole lot of trial and error later and I can finally say that my version of Chicken Parmesan is not only delish but a WHOLE lot easier than the original recipe I first tried.
I changed it up a few years ago when I didn’t have any homemade sauce on hand nor the time to make up a batch. Instead, I used a store-bought version and it turned out just as yummy.
Since then I rarely make my own sauce for this dish, but you sure could if you prefer to!
I hope you enjoy this easy dinner recipe!
Easy Chicken Parmesan
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4
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
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1
cup
Panko crumbs
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1
tsp
Italian seasoning
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1/2
tsp
garlic powder
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1/2
tsp
thyme
-
1/2
tsp
rosemary
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2
eggs
-
1
jar
pasta sauce
-
1
cup
mozzarella cheese
-
1
Tbls
fresh parsley
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1
Tbls
olive oil
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1/2
lb
pasta
cooked according to package directions
-
salt and pepper to taste
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Preheat oven to 400. Combine Panko crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary in a shallow dish. Beat eggs in a separate shallow dish. Set aside both. Place chicken breasts in a large zip lock bag. Lay on a flat surface covered with a thick towel. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin-pound chicken breasts until 1/2" thick. Remove one piece of chicken at a time with thongs. Place each first in the egg mixture and then crumb mixture. Shake excess. Place each on a baking sheet and put in the refrigerator for at least 15 min. (This will prevent the crumb mixture from falling off when frying.) Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Place olive oil in a large saute pan. When hot, add chicken. Cook on medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, pour 1/3 of pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top. Pour remaining pasta sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender and reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley. Serve over warm pasta.
Blessings and hugs,
