Chicken Parmesan

This is a GREAT family meal. This recipe was inspired by my friend, Katey (yes, I'm trying to get her to start her own recipe blog) who has brought this meal to our family during times of need and she got it from the Family Fun Magazine. I love the Family Fun Magazine so I looked up the recipe. I of course can't leave any recipe the way it is, so I've simplified it (I love easy!). This is a major meal pleaser for my husband and kids.

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup flour (white or wheat)
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil for frying
1 jar pasta sauce
Sliced mozzarella cheese

Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Prep three separate bowls or rimmed plates with the following:

one with the flour

one with the eggs and milk beaten together

one with the Italian bread crumbs

Pound the chicken breasts until thin (on a cutting board, cover chicken breast with a piece of cling wrap and pound with a mallet or rolling pin).

Arrange the breading ingredients in assembly-line fashion in this order: flour, egg mixture, crumb mixture. Working one piece at a time, dredge both sides of the cutlet in the flour, knocking off the excess. Dip both sides of the floured cutlet in the egg mixture. Coat both sides of the cutlet with the bread crumbs.

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the cutlets. (If your pan isn't large enough to cook 4 chicken breasts at once, cook them in batches rather than overcrowd the pan.) Fry each side for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is browned. Remove the cutlets from the heat.

Pour 2 cups of pasta sauce into a 9x13 pan. Add the chicken cutlets. Pour about 2 tbsp of pasta sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Lay slices of mozzarella on top of the chicken pieces, then cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake until the sauce is bubbly, chicken is cooked through, and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. I like to serve it over whole wheat blend pasta.

Note: Cooking them the rest of the way in the oven helps keep them moist. I use chicken breast from Costco which are quite large so after pounding them, I cut them in half pieces. 3 breast will give me a full pan of chicken as seen in the picture.