Chicken Parmesan

Who doesn't love a good Chicken Parm?!?!  This is delicious and your family will love it!  You do need to have a few things happening simultaneously though.  Traditional Chicken Parmesan is served with spaghetti noodles and marinara sauce.  So,while the chicken is frying, have your spaghetti noodles boiling and your marinara sauce simmering.  That way it'll all come together and be ready at the same time.  I like to serve this with green beans, salad and bread.

5 chicken breasts, trimmed

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs beaten with 1/4 cup water

3/4 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

peanut oil or vegetable oil, enough to cover the bottom of your skillet about 1/4" deep

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 jar Ragu Traditional Marinara Sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Parmesan Cheese
1 Box of spaghetti noodles, cooked according to the package directions

Let's get the prep work done!

Sauce:

Get your marinara sauce simmering.  In a small sauce pan, combine the entire jar of marinara sauce with the sugar and minced garlic.  Heat it over Low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Pasta Water:

Get a large pot of salted water up to a boil and keep it simmering.  That way when you're ready to drop the pasta in, your water is already up to temp.

Breading Station:

I like to use pie plates for this.

One pie plate needs the flour, a second pie plate for the egg/water mixture, and a third pie plate for the bread crumb/panko mixture.

 

Now, for the star of the show:

In a large skillet, heat your cooking oil over medium heat so it's hot but not smoking.

In a plastic freezer bag, or under a sheet of plastic wrap, pound the chicken breasts to 1/2".  Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess.  Dip the floured chicken in the beaten egg, making sure to get the entire piece of chicken coated and let the excess drip off slightly.  And then press both sides of the egg coated chicken into your bread crumb/panko mixture.

Carefully place the breaded chicken into the hot oil and cook for 5 minutes, flipping once halfway through.  Make sure you get a nice golden crust and the juices run clear.

Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate to blot off the excess oil.

Then, take your cooked chicken breasts and place them on a cookie sheet and top them with a generous handful of mozzarella cheese.  Place the chicken under the broiler until the cheese is all melted and bubbly. 
Once the cheese is melted, remove the chicken from the oven and ladle a bit of sauce on top of the cheese.  Then, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the sauce.  Serve with the spaghetti noodles and more sauce.