Yield: 6 portions, simple to double

Scott Nowell

Early 90’s: This is Gayle and my variation on a Pillsbury recipe for Veal Parmesan. It needed a lot of fixing. We’ve been making it for many years and like it for its simplicity. Unlike a lot of Chicken Parm recipes, this is baked in the sauce rather than coated just before serving. The sauce for this is very simple and uses inexpensive canned sauce. You can certainly substitute your favorite sauce, but it will likely be a different dish.  That’s a double batch in the photo above.

• Chicken:
• 3boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¾cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¾cup plain bread crumbs
• 1egg beaten with 2 TBS milk
• ½cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
• vegetable oil
• 1-2TBS butter
• Sauce:
• 1medium onion, chopped
• 48 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1tsp oregano
• 1/8tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Assembly:
• 8oz grated mozzarella cheese
• ¼cup grated Parmesan cheese

Trim and halve the chicken breasts to form equal sized pieces. You can pound the chicken to get a uniform thickness, but I usually don’t do that. They come out fine as-is. Season with salt and pepper.

Set up a coating station in 3 dishes or 1 dish or plastic bag for the egg and 2 for the dry mixes. Put flour, seasoned with salt and pepper in the first. Beat the egg and milk in the second and season with salt and pepper. Mix the grated Parmesan cheese with the bread crumbs in the third.

Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture to coat, then press into cheese and crumb mixture. Turn to coat on all sides. Set aside and repeat with the remaining breasts.

Heat a pan until hot, add 1 TBS each of butter and oil. Heat until butter stops foaming. Brown chicken in batches on one side, turn and brown other side. Arrange chicken in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Sauce: Discard used oil and wipe out the pan so remaining crumbs don’t burn. Add 1 TBS oil and heat over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent but not browned. Add the tomato sauce and oregano. Stir and heat until boiling.

While the sauce is heating, divide the Mozzarella and place on top of the chicken breasts. When sauce is hot, carefully pour over the chicken breasts. Top each breast with equal amounts of the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake:

In 375°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling in the center of the pan and the chicken is 165°F in the thickest part.

-or-

In 300°F oven. Cover dish with foil and bake approximately 1 hour. Remove foil and increase heat to 400°F, and bake until cheese is browned, 5-10 minutes.

Serve with:
Starch: duh! Pasta, of course.
Veg: Salad