One of my favorite meals is Chicken Parmesan! When done right, the outside is crispy and the inside is so tender and delicious. Then put that on a big plate of pasta and sauce and I'm happy!
Well, making Chicken Parmesan can take a long time and making sure you get it right can be a challenge for a busy lady that's in a hurry to get dinner on the table! Also, it's typically fried which adds lots of flavor (yes) but also lots of fat. So, I found a recipe where the chicken is cut into smaller pieces so that it cooks quicker and is baked rather than fried.
My kids love this recipe, so let's get to it!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins (sometimes I use breasts and cut them in half lengthwise and then into smaller sections if I can't find tenderloins).
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
- 5 to 6 garlic gloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1/4 cup (small handful of fresh parsley, chopped)
If you don't have fresh on hand (I rarely do), then dried is fine. Use 1 Tbsp
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp pesto (I usually have homemade on hand, but store bought is fine).
- Pasta (optional), only if you want to eat the chicken with pasta.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425oF.
- In one bowl, lightly beat the 2 eggs.
- In a second bowl, add flour and a little salt and pepper.
- In a third bowl, mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley together.
- Next, I like to get the sauce going. It's as simple as warming the crushed tomatoes and pesto together in a saucepan.
- Let this simmer for a while as you prepare the chicken pieces.
- While the sauce simmers, let's get the chicken ready!
- I like to place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Get an assembly line ready. Cutting board with chicken, then the bowl with flour, then the bowl with egg and finally the bowl with parmesan cheese.
- Take a piece of your chicken, dip it in the flour, then the egg mixture and finally the parmesan/breadcrumb mix.
- Put the chicken on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165oF.
- While the chicken is baking, taste your sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed. I usually sprinkle in some garlic salt and even a bit of sugar. The sugar helps to off-set the high acidity in the sauce without making it too sweet. I usually add maybe a teaspoon or two of sugar.
- Finally, if you want to eat this on pasta like I do, cook your pasta according to the box instructions. I personally serve it with spaghetti noodles.
ENJOY!!!
Happy Cooking! Janel
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