Chicken Parmesan

Are you a phase eater?  I've always been a huge phase eater, meaning that I go through phases of wanting/eating the same food all the time.  During my college days I had the same lunch and supper every night for 2 years.  It's almost like being pregnant and only wanting to eat that one food that just tastes better than anything else in the whole world.  I think John is still recovering from my stint of croissant sandwiches while I was pregnant with Roman.

My newest phase is chicken parmesan.  I don't know what it is with chicken parmesan lately but I just can't get enough.  Of course John isn't complaining having to eat this delicious Italian meal more often, which works out great!  In my last freezer cooking day I had a few chicken breasts left over so I decided to turn them into chicken parmesan!

Normally when you bake chicken parmesan it doesn't turn out as crunchy as it would if you fried it.  I swapped out the regular bread crumbs for panko which stays crunchy even after baking it.  Now you can have the crispy chicken parmesan that you love without soaking it in oil!

Chicken Parmesan (serves 6)
1 1/2 cups Panko
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup flour
2T dried basil
2T dried parsley
3 eggs
6 chicken breasts; pounded to 1/4-1/2" thick
pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese
    *Feel free to add more cheese.  The only thing better than cheese is more cheese!!

Mix panko and parmesan together and place on a plate.  On another plate combine herbs and flour.  Put eggs in a bowl and beat.  Season chicken with pepper.  Dredge the chicken in flour, eggs and then panko.  Bake at 410° for 15 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Flip the chicken and bake for another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Top chicken with mozzarella cheese and broil until golden brown.

To Freeze: Lay coated chicken breasts on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze.  Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.
To Serve:  Thaw chicken and bake as directed in recipe.

Freezing the chicken already coated makes this an easy weeknight meal that everyone will love.  Pair it with spaghetti and tomato sauce and you'll have a meal that everyone will ask for again and again.  I had some leftover Smart Mac & Cheese in the fridge so we had that instead.  Because this was baked and not fried I had no problem sharing this with Roman and he loved every bite!