"Bachelor" Chicken Parm

I grew up with the most amazing homemade spaghetti sauce. Then again, everyone thinks their mom's sauce is the best. My mom's sauce is a 24 hour masterpiece that sticks to the pasta like a true art form. Thankfully, she taught me well.

A good friend of mine text me the other night because he wanted to make Chicken Parmigiana. Normally he would just order it and have it delivered but he was trying to impress a girl so he wanted to make it himself. I started sharing how to make homemade sauce, and he stopped me before I even got the first sentence out. He told me not to use fancy words like "oregano." How can you not laugh at that?! So here is a recipe for quick and easy chicken parm, which I have to say came out so delicious I made it for dinner that night as well!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

can of your favorite tomato sauce, if you're going that route I like Hunt's traditional sauce

seasoned bread crumbs

Italian dressing

shredded Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, or Mozzarella cheese

fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Trim chicken and tenderize. Tenderizing the chicken is the key. Put some muscle behind it, it's a great way to take out your frustrations. If you don't have a meat tenderizer which of course my friend did not, I suggest using a metal spoon that has holes in it. Ok so now that the chicken is tenderized. It's time for the fun part! Pour some of your favorite Italian dressing on the chicken, be sure to really work it in with your fingers. Get both sides. Then you want to place the chicken in a bowl full of seasoned bread crumbs, roll it around until it's covered. Work the bread crumbs into the chicken with your fingers. Add some more Italian dressing and dip it in the bread crumbs again. This time you don't have to work it in with your fingers. Place chicken in a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Cover with spaghetti sauce and shredded cheese. Top with a couple basil leaves. Cover top of baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 mins. Take off the aluminum foil add a little bit more sauce and cheese then bake for another 10 minutes. This way the chicken will get that golden brown color and the cheese will start to bubble.

My daughter told me it was the best chicken she's ever had. My friend called me to tell me that the chicken was a hit, and he didn't burn his house down in the process of using his oven for the first time to make anything other than frozen pizza. In reality this recipe is another way to treat your family to a delicious home cooked meal during the week when things get hectic and time is short.

Cheers!