Baked Chicken Parmesan

Last night we had a delicious dinner. I'll confess, I fried THEN baked my chicken parm, and was it ever good. You could cut some fat in this recipe and bake the entire thing, OR justify a little oil, since this meal is homemade and you can control everything else about it! It is worth it! Enjoy!

p.s. recipe inspired by another recipe from none other than allrecipes.com!

Baked Chicken Parmesan

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs (homemade if you can!)
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thirds
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (see - it's not THAT much oil!)
• 2-3 cups homemade pasta sauce (I have a great recipe on here, posted last March)
• Lots (or a little) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 servings spaghetti noodles, cooked

1. Place beaten eggs in a small bowl. In a large, shallow bowl, mix together bread crumbs and parm cheese.
2. Dip each piece of chicken in egg, then into the bread crumb mixture to coat. Set on a large plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Also start to heat oil in a cast iron skillet over med-high heat (you can use a non-stick pan, but a skillet is best).
4. Once oil is good and hot, place chicken breast pcs in skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Pour about 2 cups of pasta sauce into a baking dish. Set chicken on top, and sprinkle with a small amount of cheese. Put a small dollop on top of cheese, on each pc of chicken.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, remove and sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
7. Serve over cooked spaghetti. ENJOY!

*If you want to skip the frying step, bake for a total of 30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked*