Chicken Parmesan

This pic is from chicken parm I made at work, and the pieces are huge!
Pics beneath are from my at-home version. You want them this size?
Pound them once before breading and then when you get them in 
the last stage of your breading station, whack them with your hand.
That will stretch them out and give you some mighty nice looking pieces.

Chicken Parmesan is possibly my favorite dish of all time. You've got a nice healthy cut of meat, then all the good stuff: a crispy coat of breadcrumbs, delicious sauce, and wads of wonderfully melted cheese. Definitely worth the time and effort to make this delish dish!

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts, about 1 pound

1 cup flour seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder

3 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

1 ½ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Spaghetti or marinara sauce, homemade if possible

Olive oil

Side dish ingredients:

Cooked pasta (your choice) with additional sauce

Italian bread

A nice leafy green salad 
Grated Parmesan or other Italian cheese, for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° degrees. Also have a large pot of salted water heating on your stove top for the pasta.

Assemble your breading station, with separate bowls for flour, egg wash, and bread crumbs. Start by dredging a chicken breast in the seasoned flour. Tap off excess. Dip chicken breast in beaten egg, making sure that each piece is completely coated. Drain off any excess egg, then put chicken into the bread crumbs. Press to make sure bread crumbs adhere evenly on both sides. Set aside on a clean plate and repeat with remaining pieces.

Breading station: first flour, then egg wash, then bread crumbs.

In a large skillet, cook chicken in olive oil over medium heat, turning once so the pieces are golden brown on both sides. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven so just get it browned and on to the next step. And check the pot on your stove: is the water boiling yet? Because you'll need to start cooking your pasta at this point. 

Nicely browned in the pan.

Transfer chicken to a baking sheet (or if you have an oven-safe cooking skillet, by all means, just use that and save yourself an extra dish to wash!) Top each piece of chicken with sauce and mozzarella cheese. How much cheese is enough? Well ... how much cheese do you like on your chicken parm? Also sprinkle a handful of Parmesan cheese over each piece and a little parsley for color, if desired. If you've got some fresh herbage (basil, oregano, or parsley) use some kitchen scissors and snip a little over the cheese. If not, dried herbs are fine.

Gettin' into the sauce ...

Cheese, cheese, and more cheese!

Finished in the oven and browned under the broiler.

Bake 10 – 15 minutes until the chicken has an internal temp of 165°. Briefly run under the broiler to melt and lightly brown cheese. Once completed, let your beauties rest on a cooling rack to drain off any extra oil while the pasta is cooking. Then serve with the side dishes of your choice, and dig in!

Chicken Parm with pasta and a nice hunka hunka buttered bread.

Chef's note: I have found that if the chicken breasts are too thick, you end up with a lot of chicken and the toppings get lost. You can either pound your breasts (pun intended) or carefully cut them lengthwise through the middle so one chicken breast gives you two (more manageable) pieces. I think smaller pieces of chicken makes for a much nicer dish. Plus you don't have to feel guilty about eating two! :D