Swimming and Chicken Parm for all the Moms!

It was soo hot day before yesterday, still in need of a good workout my mom and I hopped into the pool and swam laps for an hour!   The great part is even if you aren't a strong swimmer there are kick boards available to help! It was relaxing but still worked my musculos!! That night I didn't even want to walk I was soo wore out! Since it was also 85 degrees that day the water felt incredible!!!

   So, even though today was mothers day, I still made dinner..haha the hubby has a ton of work to do so I guess that's just the way it is.  It all works out because I love to cook, and I love to watch Brandon clean the kitchen!!  
   What did I make? My favorite dish of course... Chicken Parmigiana!!! YUMMMMM

Ingredients...there are quite a few..


I went with the Italian bread crumbs after I took this picture

 1 small onion chopped (if you have a slap chop..use it..cutting onions is no fun!!)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, DO NOT DRAIN
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Dash of black pepper
1/4 snipped fresh basil
4 skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs(Progresso makes an excellent Italian seasoned bread crumb)
4 tablespoons shredded parm cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of olive oil or cooking oil... for those of you health conscious people...olive oil is the best choice
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (about 1 ounce)

Directions:
1. For sauce: in a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter over medium heat until tender.  Carefully stir in the undrained tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or to desired consistency, stirring occasionally.  Stir in basil, set aside but keep warm.   (I double my sauce because I serve the chicken over angel hair pasta so I like it a little saucier!)

simmer for 10 minutes or until desired consistency...remember I double my sauce so your pan may not look as full...

2.  Meanwhile, place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Using flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken lightly to about 1/4 inch thick and then remove the plastic wrap.  (Or you can buy foster farms chicken breast fillets.  They are already thin and perfect for this recipe.  In the pictures on this blog however, I had to pound my chicken down)

3. In a shallow dish, stir together bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and the oregano.  In a second dish, stir together the egg and milk.  Dip the chicken in the egg mixture then in the crumb mixture to coat.


4. In a large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden.  Transfer chicken to a serving platter

5. Spoon sauce over chicken.  Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 tablespoon of parm.  Let stand about 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

That's it...now here are a few things I do different and you may want to try.   As I mentioned I put my chicken over a bed of angel hair pasta..soo good...  Once I put the sauce and cheese on the chicken, i stick it in the oven..this melts the cheese and makes everything gooey and delicious..trust me..this is one tip you will want to try.  

I also serve with Garlic Bread... mostly because I love garlic bread...   And finally, tonight I had Clos Du Bois Chardonnay to drink... trust me...if you like wine... you want to try this one... actually anything from Clo Du Bois is amazing!

So, to all the mommies out there..HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!   And to everyone who has tried this or any of the recipes I have shared... bon appetite!    (if anyone has tried any recipes, I would love to know what you though.....)



I learned, don't plate on a red plate if you are using a red sauce...it takes something away from the photo :)