Chicken Parmesan

Remember that moment when you discovered chicken parmesan on the Olive Garden menu and never looked back?  I don't eat at Olive Garden anymore (though from the lines at that place it seems like I'm the only one), but I still love a good chicken parmesan.  Not only do you get the pan-fried juicy chicken breast, but it's accompanied by two forms of deliciousness - zesty tomato sauce and browned mozzarella cheese.  If I was really going to distance, I would have served this with a heaping mound of spaghetti, but since I know Natalie is less of a piggy than I (despite the fact that I call her "Fatalie" on occasion), I decided to serve it with veggies instead.

I used my blink-and-you'll-be-done tomato sauce recipe because it tastes great and is amazingly easy.  When I'm pan-frying chicken on a Tuesday, I don't want to spend a lot of time making sauce too.  I've had a lot of chicken parmesan in my day because it's often a safe choice on a menu where seafood risotto isn't exactly advised.

Next time you are looking for an easy way to transform those extra chicken breasts in your freezer, go back to a dish that I know you've enjoyed alongside some free bread sticks.  I don't have a bread stick recipe yet, but we can all agree that's probably for the best.

Chicken Parmesan
Adapted from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cusps tomato sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/8-1/4 inch slices

Preheat broiler in oven.  In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and grated Parmesan.  In a separate shallow bowl, add a large egg and beat lightly.  Pound chicken breasts thin and season with salt and pepper on both sides.  Dip chicken in egg and then dredge in bread crumbs until covered on both sides.  Spread tomato sauce in a large (10x15) baking dish.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium heat.  Cook chicken in batches until golden - 1-2 minutes on each side.  Do not attempt to cook chicken all the way through or it will become dry with further cooking.  Remove the chicken from the pan and place on top of tomato sauce.  Refill pan with more oil and cook the remaining chicken.  Top the chicken with mozzarella slices and broil about 4 inches away from the heat for 5-8 minutes, until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned.  Serve with spaghetti and extra sauce for the authentic experience.