Easy Weeknight Chicken Parmesan

When I go to an Italian restaurant, I generally do not even have to look at the menu…I love chicken parmesan. I order it almost every time. When I met my husband, it was his favorite too so I really wanted to learn how to make it at home. I am not one to follow recipes so I figured I could wing it and boy did I! Again, I do things in the easiest way possible. If I had the patience I am sure that I could make this a lot more authentic but for an easy weeknight meal, this will do just great!

I also want to clarify that both my husband and I are Italian so I get a free pass. I do not have time to cook gravy on the stove all day like my grandmother did every Sunday. Boy did her house smell amazing! I will be using jarred sauce for this recipe but boy do I miss my Grandma’s gravy. She would start early in the morning and add sausage, chicken, and short ribs to the sauce and just let is simmer for hours. The smell was sinful! Everyone needs a little Italian Grandma to cook them good food and tell em like it is! My Grandma was not afraid to tell you what she thought and to be honest, she was usually correct if even you didn’t like what she was saying. I like to think I get a little bit of my gumption and sass from her!

My Grandma never made chicky parm so I just pretty much made this recipe up but trust me, it is easy and oh so tasty. Also, if you are wondering, I call it chicky parm in honor of Tom Haverford. If you have ever watched the sitcom Parks and Recreation you will know what I am talking about. He is this adorable and funny guy that is always trying to be coolest guy possible. There is an episode where he wants Leslie (Amy Poehler) to take him for apps and zerts (appetizers and dessert). After that the camera breaks away to him and he explains that he calls tortillas bean blankets, forks are food rakes, and chicken parmesan is chicky chicky parm parm. Pretty much my favorite scene from that show…and anything with Ron Swanson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mQoI_a_toU

Since it is just my husband and I, this recipe is for 2 people but please feel free to double it if you are cooking for your family. First, I take 1 piece of boneless skinless chicken breast and filet it into 2-3 pieces depending how big the piece of chicken is. Then I place each piece of chicken between a folded piece of saran wrap leaving room all around the piece of chicken. Make sure that chicken is entirely surrounded by the wrap. You could also use a plastic sandwich baggie if you prefer. Then, take your meat tenderizer, using the flat side only, and pound the chicken until it is about ¼ inch thick. This also makes the piece of chicken a lot bigger. If you do not have a meat tenderizer, you could also use a rolling pin.

Now, get your dredging ingredients ready. I use 3 shallow bowls and put about ½ a cup of flour in one, an egg, scrambled with about 1 tablespoon of water in the next, and the last one has about ½ cup of Italian breadcrumbs and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. In the flour I usually add a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-medium high heat and preheat your oven to 375. Using a fork, or tongs, remove the pounded chicken from the plastic and dredge in flour one by one until the entire piece of chicken is covered. Shake off the access flour and dip into egg mixture. Finally, dredge in the cheese and breadcrumb mixture. Do not skip the flour dredge. This dredge will ensure that the breading will stay on your chicky parm.

Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in your preheated skillet and add the chicken pieces one by one after you have gone through the dredging line. They will not be in the pan for very long because they will finish cooking in the oven. Cook about 2 minutes per side or until brown and crispy. Once you have done this on each side, place on baking dish or sheet covered in foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Place in oven for about twenty minutes. Also, if you want to save some calories, you can skip the frying step and place directly on baking sheet. Spray the pieces of chicken with cooking spray and cook in the oven for about 25-35 minutes. They do not taste as good this way but they are still pretty tasty.

During the final 5 minutes of cooking, take out chicken and spread about 2 tablespoons of your favorite marinara to cover the top of each piece of chicken. I use Classico Pizza sauce. This is one of my favorite items ever! This sauce has such a rich taste and it doesn’t have any onions or lumpy things in it! Have I told you before how much I hate onions? Well this sauce is my absolute favorite and although it says it is a pizza sauce, I use it for anything that needs marinara. Super tasty!

Finally, sprinkle each piece of marinara covered chicken filet with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I just use the already shredded kind for this because it is an easy weeknight meal but if you were trying to impress guests, I would kick it up a notch and use the fresh, soft mozzarella. Yummy! Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly! Now you can serve it with a vegetable, salad, or your favorite pasta. So easy and oh so good! Now you do not have to wait until Sunday supper to have one of your favorite comfort foods. This dish is easy enough to make any night of the week. Enjoy!

1 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless (cut into 2-3 pieces)

½ cup Italian Breadcrumbs ( I use Progresso)

½ cup Flour, seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

¼ cup and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 egg

¼-1/2 cup Marinara

¼-1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded

Preheat oven to 375. Cut piece of chicken into 2-3 pieces. Place in saran wrap or plastic sandwich bag and pound chicken until ¼ inch thick. Using three bowls, add flour to one bowl, add the egg (scrambled with 1 tablespoon of water) to the other bowl, and add breadcrumbs and ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese to the last bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-medium high heat. Dredge each piece of chicken into the flour mixture, then the egg wash, and finally the breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to preheated pan. Place each piece of check into the pan for about 2 minutes per side or until browned. Remove from pan and place on a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Place in oven for about 20 minutes. Where there is 5 minutes left on the cooking time, take chicken out and top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of marinara and sprinkle with the same mount of mozzarella cheese. Lightly sprinkle each piece with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Place back into oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese it melted.

#recipe #easy #dinner