chicken parm

Chicken Parmesan, which is almost neither of those things, is still a comforting way to end a long, cold Monday. So, that's just what we did.

Chicken Parmesan
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

You'll need:

• 4 chicken breasts, pounded to 3/4" even thickness
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 1 cup flour
• Salt/Pepper
  
• 2 T. oregano
• 3 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
• 6 oz. mozzarella (part skim/low moisture) cheese
• 4 T. parmesan cheese, shredded
  
• 1 lb. spaghetti
• 32 oz. tomato spaghetti sauce*(like Prego)
  
• 4 T. olive oil to sautee

*This is one of the rare occasions when I will suggest using your favorite pre-made spaghetti sauce instead of making your own with crushed tomatoes. Partly because it's easier, and partly because this dish is all kinds of inauthentic Italian, and it's fun to keep with that theme.

To make:
1) Pound chicken breasts to even, 3/4" thickness. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and put a pot of water on to boil.

2) Lay out 3 dishes for breading: flour (seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano), egg, and panko.

3) Bread the chicken breasts - dip in flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, then in panko breadcrumbs. Important: Let chicken stand for 10 minutes after breading or else your breading will end up in your pan and not on your chicken.

4) Sautee your chicken in olive oil until crust is golden, about 4 minutes per side. Do NOT crowd the pan, cook in batches.

5) On a baking sheet, lay browned chicken out in a single layer. Top each piece with 2 T. spaghetti sauce, plus 1/2 C. mozzarella cheese, then 1 T. parmesan cheese.

6) Bake chicken in 350 oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted.

7) Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling, salted water, drain, and mix with spaghetti sauce.

8) To plate: Put spaghetti in bottom of dish. Top with baked, cheesy chicken. Top with more parmesan, if you like. Eat. Yum. (We paired this with a nice Chianti, which was definitely pronounced with a hard "a").