Casey's Chicken Parm

You can tell that Jolene and I must be friends if we made the exact same meal on the same night and didn't even plan it! My chicken parm is a little different than hers as I used jarred sauce, breaded my chicken, and baked it in the oven after browning it.

I think the secret to chicken parm lies in pounding out the breast meat, breading the chicken, and using a meat thermometer so it does not get over cooked. For the recipe below I used Bertolli Sauce from a jar and Kraft mozzarella cheese. The Kraft cheese I used has the "Touch of Philadelphia Cream Cheese" in it and it was FABULOUS, a little more expensive than the Kroger kind but so delicious and creamy. However, you can substitute for any type of sauce or cheese you prefer. I also mixed Italian breadcrumbs with the panko so the mixture was half and half, for texture reasons.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

4 large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil

Tomato Sauce

1 pound mozzarella, shredded or thinly sliced if fresh

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Fresh basil or parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

Dredge each breast in the flour and tap off excess, then dip in the egg and let excess drip off, then dredge on both sides in the bread crumbs. There is a certain way that I like to bread my chicken which I think really helps. When you are dredging it in the flour, egg, and bread crumbs, only use one hand on the chicken. Use your other hand to sprinkle the flour and bread crumbs onto the chicken if it dosen't stick. Do not use your "sprinkle hand" hand in the eggs at all. If you do and it gets gooey, wash your hand before proceeding. The dryer you keep your "sprinkle hand" the easier it will be to flour and bread the chicken completely.

Divide the oil between 2 large saute pans and heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add 2 chicken breasts to each pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish and top each breast with some tomato sauce, a handful of shredded mozzarella, and a tablespoon of Parmesan. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 10 to 15 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil or parsley leaves.

Serve over pasta mixed with sauce, and garlic bread.