Chicken Parmesan

One of my dear friends has been sick for some time, leaving her husband and child to fend for themselves. Assuming they might enjoy a home-cooked meal over Mickey D's once in a while, I have offered to cook for them on multiple occasions. Knowing their love of Italian food, the first meal I made for them was this family favorite recipe for chicken parm. It was a big hit. It went over so well, the next time I offered to make them a meal they wanted it again. And the next time. And the next time!

Needless to say, this meal is super yummy comfort food.  Like all my favorite meals, it's also really easy and comes together in mere minutes. I serve it with breadsticks and a salad for a great weeknight meal.

Chicken Parmesan

Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 25 min
Serves 4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into thin halves
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
4 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Yes, that's right!)

Combine the herbs, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish to blend. Coat chicken with breading mixture and shake off any excess.

Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spoon the tomato sauce over and around the chicken. Sprinkle parmesan over each chicken breast. Cover each breast with mozzarella slices.

Bake, covered with foil, for 10 minutes, and then uncovered for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through.

312 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!