Christmas is fast approaching, we've got the tree up and presents neatly wrapped and stacked underneath. This has been some strange year. April was the longest year of my life, with days crawling by like months as the monotony of "Safer at Home" forced everyone inside. When I finally returned to the office in June, it seemed like things were maybe getting back towards normal. But as this year drags on, we keep looking for ways to have fun. While wearing masks. Avoiding crowds. Etc. This weekend we drove to a house whose family had filled the yard with Christmas. This was our adventure for the week, if you can call it that. It appeared that the lights were synchronized with music so we went searching for the radio station. What luck! We found the station! The lights flashed along to the tune but the song choice seemed strange, not holiday festivity but more love song crooning. And then, "Thank you for tuning in to Light Jazz..." Huh. Guess it wasn't the right station after all. Moving on. We drove to Culver's for a picnic in the van (they're not open for dining inside). A second trip through the drive-thru for dessert and then home. Nothing too exciting. But at this point, we just need something to break the everything's-the-same-every-day feeling that we have. Because everything's still cancelled.
Anyway, on to a recipe. Original is here, mine is below. I don't usually make recipes like this because too many ingredients and too many steps. But it was worth it, so we'll try to get it into the regular rotation.
Crispy Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
salt & pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup flour
1 cup oil for frying
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1/2 cup shredded provelone
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450
Pound chicken breasts to a thickness of about 1/2 inch, season with salt & pepper
Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl
Mix panko crumbs and 1/2 cup parmesan together in a shallow dish
Use a strainer or sifter to dust chicken breasts with flour
Dip the chicken into the eggs then the panko crumbs, set aside
Heat oil in frying pan until shimmering, fry chicken until golden on both sides, place in baking dish
Top each chicken breast with about 2 Tbsp tomato sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella, basil, provelone and parmesan on each
Drizzle a little olive oil over each breast
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, cheese should be brown and bubbly and chicken cooked through
Enjoy with a caprese salad on the side, or over garlic buttered noodles, whatever you've got the energy for.
It's a hit, we'll definitely make this again!
