We (I) like to make a big deal out of Sunday dinners at our home. The table is set with special dishes and glassware, along with cloth napkins. I know some of you are saying CLOTH NAPKINS? Here is the usual conversation half way through dinner:
"Jacob, why are you wiping your mouth on your sleeve?"
"Because."
"Why don't you use your CLOTH NAPKIN??"
Heavy sigh, now a roll of the eyes, along with a quick swipe of the napkin.
Sunday is a special day, sure it is. Do you ever feel worn out from the "day of rest"? I know it's not suppose to be like that...lately I've tried to simplify our Sunday meal, and tried to get more cooking/prep done on Saturday. Chicken Parmigiana is a great do-ahead meal. Pounding (tenderizing) meat is not one of my favorite activities. So, I take the shortcut route (see tips below). This is yummy served with a Caesar salad, thin green beans, and crusty bread. My friend Kimi's sis in law told me about this great secret a while back: Ask the people in the Costco Bakery to sell you the crusty bread -frozen, then take it home and put it in your freezer until you are ready to use it. Bake it (right out of the freezer) for about 15-20 minutes at 450-500 degrees. I set it right on the baking rack in the oven. Thanks Becky.
With all of the time you'll save, you can wash those cloth napkins. Oh- If you have boys- just put them back in the drawer after the meal, you know they'll still be clean.
Chicken Parmesan
print recipe
2 to 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless*, about 4 large chicken breast halves
2 cups Panko bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs, or a mixture of Italian and Panko (my fav)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
Cooked Pasta - Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Penne
Marinara Sauce bottled or (no contest better) home made
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Flatten to 1/8 inch thick with mallet or rolling pin. Or skip this step and use *Costco frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts (see tips below). Combine Panko crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl or shallow dish. Beat eggs in separate a shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken into eggs, then crumbs. Heat olive oil in large non stick skillet, and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. With tongs, remove chicken to large greased baking dish. Place chicken in dish, top each piece with about 1/4 cup sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. If serving chicken later in the day, or the next day, cover with foil and refrigerate at this point. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with pasta and remaining sauce.
Marinara Sauce:
1 onion chopped
olive oil
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons oregano, dried
2 Tablespoons basil, dried
2 Tablespoons parsley, dried
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
salt, pepper, Tabasco, sugar to taste. (I use about 5-10 drops of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of sugar)
Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add the undrained tomatoes, sauce and paste. Add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Simmer for 2-4 hours for best flavor. If you prefer smooth sauce, pour into a blender, and whirl just until smooth.
Tips:
-I like to use frozen *Costco Chicken breasts, to cut down on some of the preparation. Let the chicken thaw for a while in your refrig, then just slice in half so you end up with two long flat pieces of chicken. Costco's chicken is well trimmed, so there is hardly any waste. Make sure you don't let these thaw too much, they are easier to slice when still slightly frozen.
-If baking after refrigeration, add about 10 minutes to cooking time. Cover dish with foil and remove last 10 minutes of baking.
print recipe
2 to 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless*, about 4 large chicken breast halves
2 cups Panko bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs, or a mixture of Italian and Panko (my fav)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
Cooked Pasta - Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Penne
Marinara Sauce bottled or (no contest better) home made
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Flatten to 1/8 inch thick with mallet or rolling pin. Or skip this step and use *Costco frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts (see tips below). Combine Panko crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl or shallow dish. Beat eggs in separate a shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken into eggs, then crumbs. Heat olive oil in large non stick skillet, and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. With tongs, remove chicken to large greased baking dish. Place chicken in dish, top each piece with about 1/4 cup sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. If serving chicken later in the day, or the next day, cover with foil and refrigerate at this point. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with pasta and remaining sauce.
Marinara Sauce:
1 onion chopped
olive oil
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons oregano, dried
2 Tablespoons basil, dried
2 Tablespoons parsley, dried
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
salt, pepper, Tabasco, sugar to taste. (I use about 5-10 drops of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of sugar)
Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add the undrained tomatoes, sauce and paste. Add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Simmer for 2-4 hours for best flavor. If you prefer smooth sauce, pour into a blender, and whirl just until smooth.
Tips:
-I like to use frozen *Costco Chicken breasts, to cut down on some of the preparation. Let the chicken thaw for a while in your refrig, then just slice in half so you end up with two long flat pieces of chicken. Costco's chicken is well trimmed, so there is hardly any waste. Make sure you don't let these thaw too much, they are easier to slice when still slightly frozen.
-If baking after refrigeration, add about 10 minutes to cooking time. Cover dish with foil and remove last 10 minutes of baking.
Glad I'm not the only one that uses cloth napkins on Sundays... My friends make fun of me for using them. We use them every week, along with the china and crystal. I recently tried this recipe for the first time. (Had it from Melanie.) It was a hit.
ReplyDeleteThanks-love your blog!
I want a picture of me cooking in your kitchen. It can be with you or alone. This is Erin.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea about slicing the chicken breasts instead of pounding them! Do you know how many chicken breasts are in the bag at Costco? I need to make quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteHi Jody, I just noticed this question, sorry about that! I am guessing there are about a dozen very large chicken breast halves in the Costco size bag.
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