Comfort food is my fave. Especially Italian dishes. But I’ve noticed that kind of yummy can involve lots of calories and time cooking . That’s not always the option I want to take. With my schedule and (transparency) laziness, I have to get into the right mindset. But I do love to cook and create.
What to do?
A couple of weeks ago, I bought chicken cutlets. It’s such a great option to buy if you don’t have time/patience to slice the meat from regular thighs/breasts, etc. I wasn’t positive on what to make. Then after a stressful time at the car shop, it dawned on me. A simplified version of chicken parmesan. Some of you saw this on Snapchat, but I wanted to write it down.
(I used my phone for pics, so forgive me.)
All of the ingredients I used were in the house: flour, Italian bread crumbs, basil, oregano, garlic, and eggs.
As you get your prepping table together, find a saucepan, pour some olive oil, and let it heat. Also, pre-heat the oven. (I set it to 450 degrees.)
I coated the chicken in flour, then dipped the cutlets in egg. After that, I covered the meat in Italian bread crumbs. (You could use plain if you’d like, just add the seasonings.) I took the liberty to add a little more basil, oregano, and garlic to the breadcrumb mixture.
Once the pan was read, I started cooking the chicken on medium heat. Be careful that you don’t have on high (smoke and burning will follow). I had them on the stove for about 8 minutes. I flipped them every two minutes. I let the meat brown and let a crust form. As that happened, I checked to make sure the meat was cooked through.
Once that was finished, I transferred the meat to a baking pan. Topping it with tomato sauce, and provolone and mozzarella cheeses, stuck the chicken in the oven. Parchment paper rocks! Easy clean up.
Oven time: Another 10 minutes, so the cheese could melt, the crust settle, and the meat completely cooks through.
That’s it. You can eat the chicken by itself, or add pasta/salad.
With the prep time, everything took about 45 minutes. But I was winging it, so with advanced planning, the timing may be shorter. Not the usual way you make this dish, but I made it work. It was darn yummy.
(This all depends on how much chicken you use:)
- Chicken (whole pieces or cutlets)
- 1-2 eggs
- Two cups of Italian bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups of flour
- Olive oil for the saucepan
- Tomato sauce
- Cheese of your choice (I used provolone and mozzarella)
There ya go. An easy way to create comfort food while staying in the house. I don’t check calories but if you portion it correctly, it’s a great alternative.
xo
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