Chicken Parmesan--It's Easy, I Promise!

Today was early release day at my kiddos' school and it was absolutely pouring all afternoon. I had picked up Subway for lunch since our microwave (yeah, the one we just got last year…) is still at the repairman's shop being tested for why it mysteriously stops heating every once in awhile. It's been three days so far without it, with no end in sight. This is a big deal: no reheating leftovers, no heating up butter or sauce, no popping popcorn, no boiling water or ANYTHING. Aahh!!

 So since it was still pouring outside, my girls and I decided to have a chick flick marathon after lunch while the boys had Minecraft video marathons on the iPad. We girls watched Julie & Julia first, followed by The Help and finally 27 Dresses. After watching Julie & Julia or The Help, I am always, always, always in the mood to cook. And I'm always craving fried chicken and sweet tea--go figure. So tonight I decided to come close to fried chicken and make Chicken Parmesan for dinner. (I know, not really that close…) But I gotta tell ya, this is a SUPER easy meal and it's relatively quick as well. Don't be afraid! You can do this! Promise.

Makes 6 Servings

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup spaghetti sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a skillet. In one bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper until frothy. In another bowl, whisk together parmesan and bread crumbs. Dip raw chicken first in egg, then bread crumbs and place gently in the hot oil. Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides--turning gently with metal tongs. (I did three breasts at once, but whatever fits in your skillet without being squished is what you should go with.) Remove to a cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven, top each breast with 2 tablespoons of sauce and 1-2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella. Return to oven for another 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted but not browned. Serve with additional parmesan over spaghetti, if desired. 

You can flatten your chicken breasts out in between sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet if they're too thick or if you prefer them that way. I don't really mind them being a little on the thick side, so I almost always skip this step. Getting all of this together took me less than 45 minutes. I love to cook, but I don't consider myself an expert or a gourmet cook by any means. My husband is usually the one to take care of frying. But this is SO simple, even I can do it. And if I can do it, anyone can! I promise, if you've never made Chicken Parm, you've gotta try it. You'll never spend $13-$15 on it in an Italian restaurant again! Have an awesome weekend, peeps!

The MOST Incredible Chicken Ever. Ever.

So several months ago, I came across a simple recipe on my mayonnaise jar and decided to try it. That night, my husband and children declared me the Queen of Food Forever. They worshipped the ground I walked on, kissed my feet and anointed my head with oil. Okay…not really on the last three, but in all seriousness, they were ecstatic over this chicken. I must admit, I was pretty freaking in love too. And it's SO simple. Beyond simple. Like, takes 10 minutes to prepare simple. And, obviously, given the ingredients (heLLO mayonnaise!), it's not the healthiest of recipes, so you really don't want to eat this every day. But, I've experimented with substituting Greek yogurt for the mayo, or even half Greek yogurt and half mayo, and that's pretty good too. I do that most of the time, but sometimes you just want the real thing. So, behold….the real thing, baby. (My apologies that it's on the tray and not plated…this chicken doesn't last on the plate long enough to be photographed.)

Makes 6 Servings

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Parmesan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix together mayo and parmesan in a medium bowl. Spray cookie sheet and place chicken evenly. Spoon mayo/cheese mixture onto each piece of chicken and spread to cover. Sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. 

The easiest and most delicious chicken you've EVER made, guaranteed. The Best. Chicken. Ever! When my kids ask me if I'm making "The Chicken", I know this is what they're referring to. When my 7-year-old son asks me, "Are you making that really yummy chicken that you make!?!" this is what he means. My daughter loves it so much, she requested it for her 14th birthday dinner, above any catering options I gave her. So I made about 20 pounds of it for her birthday party. I always do half breasts and half thighs just because half of my family likes the dark meat and the other half likes the white meat, but you can certainly do just the one kind that you like if you have a preference. Also, I never measure it anymore. I just eyeball the mixture until it's the consistency I want and sprinkle bread crumbs on top with a spoon…I probably use more of those than what it calls for, but we like the extra crunch it gives them. I bet it'd be phenomenal with some seasoned Panko too. Mmmmm….I'm going to have to make this dish again soon, it's making me hungry typing all this! 

Chicken Stuffed Shells

So this was absolutely delish, but if I could have my way, it would've had spinach in it. Since I have a couple picky eaters and we'd been out of town for several days prior, I knew everyone was starving for some good home-cookin'. So I decided to be nice and leave out the spinach. Next time though, [Annabelle] better put her game face on and be ready to ingest some spinach. ;) 

Makes 24 shells

1 box jumbo pasta shells
4 cups cooked, chopped or shredded chicken
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use my homemade substitute)
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
1 cup evaporated milk
2-4 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar this time but will def try mozzarella next)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Boil pasta in salted water 12 minutes; leave in the pasta water to avoid sticking. Meanwhile mix chicken, ricotta and seasonings until well mixed. Taste and add additional seasonings if desired. In medium saucepan, heat cream of chicken soup and cream cheese over medium heat until cream cheese has fully melted and incorporated. Stir in evaporated milk. Taste and add seasonings if desired. (My homemade cream of chicken substitute had plenty of flavor, but if I used the canned stuff, I'd want to add some salt, pepper, garlic, onion and oregano for sure.) Spread about a cup of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking dish. Fill shells with chicken mixture and lay evenly on top of sauce in pan. (Squish those babies in there if you need to!)  Sprinkle 1-2 cups of shredded cheese on top of shells, then pour sauce evenly over the top of all the shells, making sure it delves into those corners and hard-to-reach areas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly. 

This recipe took me about 45 minutes from start to finish. Not bad at all! I put chicken breasts in the crockpot all day to cook so I'd have those ready by dinnertime. A rotisserie chicken would save some time and be delicious in this dish as well. Next time I want to stir in some shredded cheese and chopped, cooked spinach into the filling because I think it would be dynamite! This was a good, quick weeknight meal that our family loved. Those four remaining shells in the photo were taken by my older three kids for their school lunches the next day. Two birds, meet stone! Yes!! :)