KILL IT CUT IT UP AND COOK IT: CHICKEN PARMESAN

I recently tried this dish for the first time. My friend who dines with me every Wednesday ordered this and I thought it looked good. SO I tried it when Penny and I went out, and LOVED IT !!

So what do you do when you love a dish?? You make it yourself !!

First time I made this at home we had left over sauce that we used.

But my Buddy is coming over for dinner, and I thought I would use my “Souped Up Ragu” sauce that we just posted. (leaving out the meat)

So if you have your adult beverage, let's get started on the sauce.

SAUCE

2 Jars of Ragu Traditional Sauce

½ Cup Peppers (Chopped)

¼ Cup Onion (chopped)

3 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)

A few shakes of Italian Herbs and Oregino

8 Oz Chopped Fresh Mushrooms (or Can)

Directions

Saute Onions, then add Peppers

When just about sauteed, add the Garlic and cook for about 30 seconds

Add the jars of sauce, mushrooms and all the spices

Cook on Simmer for about 30 minutes (Can go longer)

Now for the Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Eggs

1 cup Panko bread crumbs, or more as needed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed

1 cup olive oil for frying

1/2 cup prepared Tomato sauce

1/4 cup Mozzarella

1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil

1/2 cup grated Provolone cheese

2 TBL grated Parmesan cheese (NOT THAT CRAP IN THE GREEN CAN !!!!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface.

Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2-inch. You are NOT sinking a 4 x 4 in the ground, so don't beat it to death. I got one flatter than I wanted. Go slow.

Season chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.

I like salt & pepper.

Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl, set aside.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and set aside

Dip a chicken breast in the flour and coat both sides.

Dip flour coated chicken breast in beaten eggs.

Transfer breast to breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs into both sides. Repeat for each breast. Set aside breaded chicken breasts for about 15 minutes.

(I put them in the frigerdator and had a beer)

(Half hour later)

Heat 1 cup olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.

Place chicken in a greased baking dish and top each breast with about 1/3 cup of tomato sauce. Layer each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and provolone cheese. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, and chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F