Chicken Parmigiana

When will this heat end?! It is another hot and humid day and I had already used my oven at lunchtime for the baked apples, so I figured I should probably cook over the stove tonight. It has been quite a while since we have had chicken parmigiana. For a while, I had been serving this for dinner every other week. I love this recipe because it tastes like you have been slaving over the stove for hours when, in fact, this can be made in under 30 minutes start to finish. It is a quick and easy company-deserving dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 c vegetable oil, divided
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced; divided
  
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1 tsp sugar, or to taste
  
• Sea salt, to taste
  
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1/3 c Italian-style bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
  
• Shredded mozzarella or grated parmesan cheese, for topping
• Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add 1 clove of garlic, stirring constantly for one minute.
  
• Add tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, parsley and bay leaf in the sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer and cover; stirring occasionally.
  
• In the meantime, flatten the chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Combine bread crumb and parmesan cheese in a flat dish or bowl. Dip the chicken into egg and then press in breadcrumb mixture to coat.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil over (or as needed) medium heat in a large skillet. Add 1 clove of garlic, stirring constantly for one minute. Place chicken in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Reduce heat. Spoon tomato sauce over the chicken and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover the chicken just long enough for the cheese to melt.
  
• Serve over pasta.
• Enjoy!