Here are two dishes in one from Joan's family cookbook – chicken cutlets and with a few additional steps, voila, Chicken Parmesan. Both equally delicious and bound to become one of mamma’s favorite comfort foods.
Ingredients
2- 2 ½ pounds chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 cup breadcrumbs, Italian, or plain
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cups marinara sauce of your choice
8 slices mozzarella
½- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap or in a one gallon plastic bag. Using a metal kitchen mallet, pound the chicken breasts until they are ¼ to ½-inch thick.
In a shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper.
In another shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a fork.
Dip both sides of the chicken breast in the eggs, then in the breadcrumb mixture.
In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until oil is hot. Cook cutlets about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and the juices run clear.
Drain cutlets on paper towels and then transfer to a serving platter. Add more oil if necessary to cook the remaining chicken breasts.
You could stop at this point and enjoy the chicken cutlets all by themselves. Or carry on with the last few instructions.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cover the bottom of a 9 X 13½-inch baking dish with 1 inch of sauce. Arrange the cutlets in a single layer in the baking dish. Ladle the sauce over the cutlets and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven. Top cutlets with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and return to oven. Bake uncovered an additional 10 to 15 minutes until sauce is bubbly and mozzarella is melted.
Recipe by Food and Friendship at https://www.foodandfriendshipsantabarbara.com/2018/03/05/mamma-needs-food/