New Meal Monday: Chicken Parmesan

I am a firm believer that marinara sauce should be a food group all by itself. I love anything dipped, covered, or drowning in marinara. I've already mentioned my love of chicken, so chicken Parmesan is a natural way to pair the two.

I've made different variations of this dish enough times that I was able to wing it. I made it up as I went, and both J and I were thrilled with the results. I only made enough for the two of us, without leftovers, but you could obviously adjust this to fit your family.

Chicken Parmesan

-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I bought the thin kind, but you could just pound yours to about 1/2 inch thick)
-1 egg
-1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (you could use regular bread crumbs, I just like the crunch from panko)
-1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
-1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
-1/3 cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl or shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. In a separate bowl, beat egg.

Coat both sides of one chicken breast with egg and let excess drip off. Then dredge in bread crumb mixture. Place breaded chicken on a greased cookie sheet and repeat process with additional piece.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is golden. Remove chicken from oven and divide sauce evenly between each piece, spreading sauce across the top of the chicken. Sprinkle half of mozzarella on each piece.

Return to oven and bake an additional 5-6 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on how melted you want your cheese. We like ours brown and almost crispy, so we left it in for about 6-7 minutes.

The cooking time for the chicken gives you the perfect opportunity to cook your pasta, or whatever you decide to make as a side.