Day 206: Chicken Parmesan

I going to be taking a few days off this week to spend some time with family.  But never fear, while I will miss you all, I'm leaving you in very capable hands.  Doug Thornton, of Arkansas Dutch Oven Society fame, will be taking over for a few days.  I know you won't be disappointed.  Doug has been dutch oven cooking for 15 years so he really knows his stuff. Probably a lot better than I do!  :)  So I hope you will all give him your support and your thanks for stepping in for me.  I'll see you all on Monday!

This is a recipe I've been making for a while. I love it because it is so easy and not super labor intensive.  I found it here.

Chicken Parmesan
10" dutch oven

7-8 garden tomatoes (if you don't have garden tomatoes, I would suggest using 1 large can of crushed tomatoes and 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes)
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can tomato sauce
3 chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. Panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. parsley
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices Provolone cheese (or mozzarella, but we had Provolone on hand so that's what we used and it was amazing!)
1 lb. spaghetti

If you are using fresh tomatoes, peel them and mash them with a potato masher in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt and pepper, set aside. Heat a little vegetable oil in a  10" dutch oven and saute onion and garlic. When onions are clear, add the smashed tomatoes. Add basil, oregano, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper and bring to a good rolling simmer. Add tomato sauce (to thicken it up a little bit). It still may seem a little watery, but it thickens up quite a bit after it simmers. Reduce heat a little and simmer uncovered for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.  I used a full spread of coals for this.
About 30 minutes prior to serving. Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and add beaten egg and garlic. Smash all the air out of the bag, seal tightly, then work the the chicken around a little bit so it is covered in egg.

On a plate or pie pan, combine bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Heat some oil on medium heat in another 10" dutch oven. Remove chicken from egg mixture and press into the bread crumbs. When covered in bread crumbs, add the chicken to the oil and cook for about 1 minute on each side. Place chicken on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for about 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink. Use 1 ring on the top and bottom.  In the meantime, cook spaghetti to al dente. Remove chicken from oven, add 2 slices of cheese per chicken breast, then return to the oven for about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Layer spaghetti, sauce, and chicken on a plate and serve.

The Finished Product

 
  Once again, everytime I try to upload a pic blogger gets mad and shuts me down.  I'll get
  it up as soon as I can.

The Review

This is my very favorite Chicken Parmesan recipe.  The chicken is tender and flavorful.  My kids loved this.  Brylie, my 5 year old, told me I was the best cooker ever!  If that doesn't equal a culinary triumph then I don't know what is!  My kids gave this one an A++++.  :)