Weeknight Chicken: Baked Chicken Parmesan

I usually think of chicken and eggplant parmesan as having lots of steps and taking a while to prepare.  Here is a delicious short-cut version of chicken parmesan perfect for a weeknight!

The two keys to this recipes are: 1) thin chicken cutlets; 2) high quality jarred marinara.  The thin cutlets cook up quickly and a good marinara just makes the dish so much tastier!  I actually forgot to buy the mozzarella so I put dollops of ricotta on top of the cutlets.  Delicious and a change of pace from your typical parmesan.

By the way, this is another recipe from Real Simple’s: Dinner Done Right.  Definitely got my money’s worth out of that checkout line purchase!

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Real Simple

•    8 thin chicken cutlets (1 1/2 pounds total)
•     kosher salt and black pepper
•     1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•     2 large eggs, beaten
•     2/3 cup bread crumbs
•     1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•     3 tablespoons olive oil
•     1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
•     1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

Heat oven to 400º F. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Place the flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls; in a third shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Coat the chicken with the flour, then dip in the eggs (letting any excess drip off), then coat with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Pour the marinara sauce into a large, shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken and mozzarella.

Bake until bubbling and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.