Tag Archive | garlic bread

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Jul1

I must have some Italian ancestry somewhere because I have a serious love for Italian food. Seriously…I buy garlic in bulk and I usually cook for two. 🙂

Italian Food Addiction: Exhibit A

Italian Food Addiction: Exhibit A

That being said, as much as I love Italian food it can take time and isn’t always realistic after a long day. That’s why I love shortcut recipes that still pack a lot of Italian punch, such as this Easy Chicken Parmesan. It has all the flavors of of a traditional Chicken Parmesan without all the fuss. You also only need one skillet for the dish and one pot for boiling your pasta. Being able to get such a hearty and tasty dinner on the table in 30 minutes makes this my go-to Italian meal for busy weekdays. Facile e Delizioso!

Picture of Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4

Ingredients: 

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup Panco breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (the powdered kind works great!)
  • 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloin strips
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large jar (26-28 ounces) of your favorite pasta sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound of spaghetti or substitute for your favorite pasta, cooked al dente
  • 1 cup mozzarella, shredded

Directions: 

1. In a shallow dish or bowl (large enough to dunk the raw chicken into), beat the egg and set aside. In another shallow dish or bowl, combine the Italian seasoning, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese, and set aside.

Helpful Hint: Any time I batter and fry, I set up a little workstation from left to right, with the hot pan as the last station on the right. I also use my left hand for handling the wet ingredients—picking up the chicken, dunking the chicken in the egg, etc.—and my right hand for handling the dry—scooping breadcrumbs over the eggy chicken, and finally picking up the breaded now-dry chicken and placing in the pan. This keeps mess to a minimum and ensures you have one gooey-free hand instead of two.

Raw chicken, egg, and breadcrumbs frying station

2. Heat your skillet to medium-high heat and add olive oil. If you’re working in batches due to the size of your pan, divvy up the olive oil accordingly. Dredge the chicken into the egg and coat generously in the breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the middle. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the breasts so be sure to test. Remove cooked chicken from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

Frying Chicken

3. Using the same skillet you used for the chicken, sauté onion in the hot pan for several minutes. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute or so.

Garlic & Onions sauteing

Reduce heat to low and add jar of pasta sauce and stir.

Note: Have some mushrooms or peppers sitting around and needing a good home? Feel free to throw them into the skillet when sautéing your onions. This is a very versatile dish and great for using up leftover veggies!

4. Place cooked chicken on top of the sauce and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Cover pan to let cheese melt (2-3 minutes).

Melted Cheese over Chicken

Serve sauce and chicken over your favorite pasta and dig in! You might also like to try with my awesome Pizzeria Garlic Knots!

Picture of Skillet Chicken Parmesan

This recipe is so good that it instantly turns on full throttle pug manipulation.

Picture of Buddy begging for Chicken Parmesan

Buddy prays I made enough Chicken Parmesan for him.

See Also: Pizzeria Garlic Knots

 

Pizzeria Garlic Knots

Jun27

Plated Knots

I love baking garlic bread to go along Italian dishes and these homemade garlic knots are my favorite. They’re very simple, kids love to help with knotting the dough, and they taste just as good as any Italian restaurant or pizzeria’s garlic bread and tons better than the frozen stuff. They also make a great appetizer when served with marinara for dipping. Warning: these disappear quickly so consider a double or triple batch. 🙂

I’ve included both the bread machine and by hand directions below.

Pizzeria Garlic Knots
Makes 24 knots

Dough:

  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1 3/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Garlic Butter

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Bread Machine Directions:

If using a bread machine, add the ingredients as recommended by your bread machine and set to dough setting. Continue with “Making the knots” (below):

Risen dough

By Hand Directions: 

In a small bowl, add the warm water and sugar and mix. Add the yeast and let rest for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning. Make a small well in the center of the four mixture and pour in the yeast water. Mix and then knead together for 5-10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, lightly coat with olive oil, and place in a covered dish to allow to rise (approximately 1 1/2 hours).

Making the knots: 

After your dough has finished rising, grab a handful of dough at a time and roll out on a floured surface. Roll to a small rectangle, about 4 inches long and 1/2 an inch thick.

Rolled dough

Using a pizza cutter, make 1 inch strips.

Strips

Take each strip and tie to make a knot.

Knotting

 

Knotted

Lay on a greased baking tray and leave plenty of space in between so that the knots can rise a second time.

Knots on a tray

Cover pan of knots with seran wrapped sprayed with olive oil and let rise until doubled in size (about two hours).

Second rise

After knots have finished rising, preheat oven to 400°F.

Remove seran wrap and bake knots for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool.

Browned knots

While knots are cooling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add garlic. Heat on low for 2-3 minutes then add salt and parsley and remove from heat.

Garlic Butter

Generously brush garlic butter onto the still warm knots. I just pile all the finished knots onto one tray and brush away.

Garlic Brushing

Enjoy!

Plated Knots