Easy Chicken Parmesean

So I decided I want to be more creative with this blog, which I am probably stealing the idea from the movie that I saw and book that I am reading Julie and Julia. The movie was great the book is always better, like always. So instead of just putting the recipe and a mediocre review I will right my experience while making and shopping for the food. Also, I will relate any antidotes that are funny and pertinent.

The funny thing with this chicken Parmesan is my roommate Matt made the same exact thing last night. This was not planned at all. He went shopping that day and made it, I planned this weeks ago. I am a big planner when it comes to cooking. Honestly it is the one thing I really enjoy!

So I made homemade tomato sauce, taught to me by my mom before my junior year, as oppose to jarred that my roommate Matt used. This is sauce . . I mean gravy. . . which one? There is always the debate with Italians if you call it sauce or gravy. My family has this debate a couple of times, and most of the time we are not even having sauce/gravy. So how it comes up I do not know. In fact, today I had this conversation (just proving how much of a debate it is) with a faculty member at my school, Ramapo College. She said "Oh you must not be a real Italian if you call it sauce." I guess I am not. What is a true Italian? The men from mTV's Jersey Shore, I hope not.

So I cut up a half an onion and sauteed it with minced garlic from a jar, easy and cheap for a college student. Did this until they were translucent. The smell made its way up the stairs and it was a glorious smell of garlic. I added my can of Rienzi crushed tomatoes and let simmer. I seasoned it obviously with salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes cause some like it hot. I let it simmer while my roommate and I went to A&P where our friend Marybeth works to get the ingredients, which was so time consuming and too good to be revealed until my next post.

When we came back I proceeded to continue the recipe, in fact, without the recipe for the very first time. I felt reckless and wild making the recipe blind. Granted I told my roommate how to make this and I better know how to make it if I can teach it. I took an egg and some milk and mixed them together in a dish with the most perfect lip around it that I feel was made for those meals that have a wet station and dry station. The chicken commuted from the wet station to the dry station lastly to its final destination the frying station. Now the recipe called for seasoned bread crumbs but I had plain so I improvised and added dried basil, oregano, garlic, and garlic powder.

I fried three batches of chicken, it could feed an army. Eight pieces in all. I put some sauce on the bottom of a pan because it will make it easier to clean. I cut huge slices out of a block of mozzarella cheese and used the rest which was grated and put on top. So the layers were sauce, chicken with slices of mozzarella, more sauce, grated cheese, and then some Parmesan. Bake it in the oven until bubbly.

I took a bite and it was the greatest chicken parm of all time because of the extra cheese and homemade sauce. It reminded me of being at a corner pizza place ordering their chicken parm. This recipe will stay in mind forever. I wish all of them did.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
seasoned bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese
Preparation:

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish. Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad.

Source