Well my mom has been asking me for this recipe for a while and I keep forgetting to give it to her so I will post it here. It is one of my favorites and I love making it!
You will need:
1 package of whole wheat pasta (I like Barilla)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of veg oil
1 egg beaten
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (or italian style, whichever strikes your fancy)
For the Sauce:
A note, I make the sauce from tomatoes. If you don't want to go through the trouble you can just buy 2 15oz cans of tomato sauce.
3-4 lbs of tomatos (heirloom or roma)
3 med-lg cloves of garlic minced
1tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped
1.5 tsp of fresh oregano chopped
1/4tsp of garlic powder
a pinch of celery salt
2tbsp light butter
1/4 a cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese
8oz of mozzarella cheese
For the cheese, add more or less depending on your love of cheese. There is no right or wrong amount!
I will start with the sauce so if you are doing the canned tomato sauce bypass all steps marked with a #
# Start by getting a pan of water boiling on the fire, this water should be enough to cover the tomatoes. Have a bowl of ice water on the side ready to go. Once your water is boiling drop a few tomatoes in and leave them in for about a minute. Move them to the bowl of ice water and do this until all tomatoes are done.
# Once you remove the tomatoes from the ice water the skin should peel right off. Cut the stem off and give them a little squeeze to get some of the seeds and water out, unless you want your sauce liquidy
# I usually put the tomatoes in a food processor to make it nice and saucy, If you want a chunkier sauce you can just mash the tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher.
# Now leave this sauce off to the side for now and we will move to the chicken
Take the chicken and put it in a plastic bag or wrap and pound it until it is about 1/4in thick. Get out your skillet or sauce pan and heat the oil up. Get the egg, salt and pepper mixed in a bowl and then the bread crumbs in a shallow plate ready while the oil is heating. Dip your chicken in the egg mixture and then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Put into the hot oil and cook for 5-7 mins on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and drain them on a paper towel.
Drain the remaining oil from the pan, but leave the bread crummies from the chicken in the pan. Now take your tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic, garlic powder and celery salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer about 20 minutes until thickened. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning as you like it, everyone has different tastes!
While the sauce is simmering preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a glass baking dish.
After the sauce has thickened, add the butter and let it melt on low heat. Put the chicken in the greased baking dish and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the breasts, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins. Leave your oven on!! Take the dish out and add the mozz cheese on the chicken and sauce and bake for another 15 mins. I usually make my pasta while it is baking.
Enjoy, and feel free to post any questions!
