The Freshman Cook: April 2012

Chicken Parmigiana is one of my all time favorites! I just love the creamy, cheesy, gooey Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese piled high atop a really deep tomatoey, marinara sauce, and moist, lightly breaded chicken. It’s just so ~ Yum! Well, today is my day for Secret Recipe Club, and my assigned blog this month is The Savvy Kitchen. This is a great blog written by Amy, who loves to cook, and is getting married in just a couple months. Congratulation and Best Wishes, Amy! Amy has lots of fun, tasty looking recipes, you must try out~starting with this chicken parmigiana!

Chicken Parmigiana

1-1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

Salt

Pepper

3/4 cup Flour

2 Eggs

1 tablespoon Water

3/4 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Olive Oil

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese
Pasta

2 cups Marinara Sauce

1  32 ounce can San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes

3 Garlic Cloves

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

I made my own tomato sauce for this recipe. 

 The recipe calls for 2 cups of Marinara sauce, and my family

loves the sauce I make, and it’s so simple!

Let’s make the sauce first.

Chop your three cloves of garlic.

Place one tablespoon of olive oil in your pot,

and add the chopped garlic.

Let it cook until light brown.

Add your can of crushed tomatoes. 

Let cook for 20 minutes on medium low.

Stir a couple of times.

Let your sauce sit on low while you prep your chicken.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

We need to pound out the chicken, and make it a little thinner.

Cut a piece of wax paper, fold it in half, and place your first piece

of chicken on the wax paper.

Fold wax paper over the chicken.

I could not find my meat mallet, so I used a can to 

pound out the chicken. I pounded from the center, out,

just flattening the chicken a little.

Now, lets put together our assembly line.

Make an egg wash by adding the 1 tablespoon of water

to the two eggs. 

Mix well.

Place the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. 

I try not to use salt, if I can avoid it, so I substituted

garlic powder for the salt.

 It worked out great and was delicious!

Place your seasoned bread crumbs in a bowl, or on a plate.

Take a piece of chicken, and dip it in the flour.

then coat the piece of chicken by dipping it in the egg,

and finally in the bread crumbs.  

Continue to do this with all of your pieces.

Heat a frying pan with some olive oil, 

and when it becomes hot,

 add your piece of chicken.

This is totally optional, but I wanted to make the marinara 

smooth, so while the chicken was frying, I put the

sauce in the blender, and pureed.

Use a 9″ X 13″ oven safe pan.

Spray the bottom with pan spray.

Spoon 2-3 spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Add your chicken pieces on top of the sauce.

I left one piece plain and it was delicious.

Spoon some of the sauce onto your 

pieces of chicken.

Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan on top of the sauce.

Bake for 5-7 minutes.

Cook your pasta.

Place the pasta on your plate, top with sauce,

and top with your chicken.

Serve with garlic bread!

Enjoy!

Thanks Amy, for a delicious dish that is quickly

 becoming a family favorite!