January 11, 2007 Chicken Parmigiana

Easy Tastebud Delights

Twelfth Edition (January 11, 2007)

Easy Recipes

45 minutes+

Hi Everyone! Well, Thursday is here at last! I hope you've all survived the week, it's been a LONG one for me! Tonight's meal is one that we have quite often and it is unbelievably easy.

When boneless skinless chicken breasts are on sale, I stock up and pull out 4 of them the night before we plan on having this meal, so they have plenty of time to thaw in the fridge before dinner the next day. I either buy the pre-frozen or regular breasts, ( depending on the price), and freeze them individually so they are easy to remove from the frozen bag.

I like planning meals ahead of time so that we have a variety of different dishes during the week and don't overloading on the same foods night after night! It also makes grocery shopping easier and in the end, it's cheaper because we don't need to make so many trips to the grocery store.

Now for the recipes: Chicken Parmigiana sounds so exotic, doesn't it? With practice and encouragement this can be a recipe you can fill your family with and also wow any guests when they show up unexpectedly or have a planned visit.

I used to buy the Italian flavoured bread crumbs then started making my own cracker crumbs by putting 1 sleeve of saltines in the food processor with oregano and garlic powder, any unused leftovers go into a plastic container with a tight fitting lid then into the freezer.

Chicken Parmigiana

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, split in half

Container #1:
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. minced jarred garlic

Zippy Bag #1:
1 cup bread or cracker crumbs
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano

In heavy frying pan:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup chunky salsa or tomato sauce
1/2 cup wine or chicken stock
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1/2-1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Dip chicken pieces in milk and egg mixture then shake in bag with bread or cracker crumbs.
In a frying pan on the stove add oil then chicken pieces, browning each side for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove chicken from pan and add chicken stock. Deglaze "yummies" on bottom of pan then return chicken to the pan. Add salsa and cheese, cover and cook in the oven until done, (about 15 minutes).

Serve with rice or pasta and frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Note: I haven't tried this but am hoping to someday, it looks REALLY easy!!
To really save time, buy chicken breast cutlets and skip the browning process on the stove. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay cutlets on the bottom of an 8 inch square pan, pour salsa or tomato sauce over top then mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is warmed completely through. Remove foil and broil until cheese is brown and bubbly.

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