Chicken Parmesan

After seeing several of your recent dishes, I was in the mood for pasta but we had some chicken breasts Bev wanted to use so she suggested Chicken Parmesan – great compromise.

She had six chicken breasts (giant as usual) so I trimmed them up and pounded the big end a little to make them cook more evenly. 

I wanted to use a buttermilk marinade but we had none so I improvised:

Marinade:

2 T. white vinegar

Milk to make two cups

1 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

1½ t. McCormick Italian Herbs (ground on medium)

Add vinegar to a measuring cup then milk to the two cup mark, stir and let stand for five minutes.  Add the spices, mix well, and pour over the chicken pieces in a gallon plastic bag, being sure they are all submerged.  Marinate in the fridge – mine went for five hours.

To cook the chicken, I wanted a panko crusted and baked version using what we had on hand and found a couple of recipes to use as a guide.

Ingredients for six servings:

6 large chicken breasts (boneless skinless)

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

3 tbsp. McCormick Italian Herbs (ground on medium)

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tsp. garlic powder

Cooking spray

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Pasta sauce (your favorite)

1 lb. your favorite (spaghetti for us)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and spray a sheet pan with Pam (I first lined mine with foil for easier clean up).

2. Add the panko, spices, and parmesan to a dish and mix until well combined. 

3. Remove chicken breasts from the marinade, allow excess to run off then roll each piece in the Panko mixture until well coated, and place it on the pan without crowding.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 150 degrees. Top with cheese and return to oven until chicken reaches an internal temp of 160* (or more done if you prefer).  Remove from the oven and rest while plating the pasta. 

While the chicken is baking, cook pasta per package directions, drain and mix with a little sauce to coat.

Plate pasta, top with some sauce, lay breast atop pasta, and top it with sauce and Parmesan.

Not a great shot but we thought the dish was delicious with moist, tender, crisp, and tasty chicken - the only thing I’d do differently is spray oil or pat butter on the top and sides of the chicken coating to help it brown a little better. The sauce was easy and delicious with just the right consistency for me.  Yeah, I know, this dish is usually baked with the sauce and cheese on it, but I wanted it to be as crispy as possible - the other way would have been prettier though.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

2 qts tomato juice (or tomatoes)

1 can tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil and parsley

½ tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 med onions

Saute onions in a little olive oil until soft, add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Stir in tomato paste, cook a couple of minutes then add all remaining ingredients.  Cook about two hours or to desired consistency.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

2/24/14 meal date