chicken parm, my absolute fave

i love chicken parm...especially the pasta dish and the sub/sandwich. it rocks my entire world.

so of course, i like to make it, too.

this past weekend i made it from scratch for the first time! take a look. enjoy :)

**
serves 4-6

what you'll need:

4 chicken breasts (or 8-10 tenderloins), whole
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of flour
1 cup of bread crumbs--you can buy these pre-packaged from progresso(tm)
old bay seasoning*
ground black pepper*
stewed tomatoes
your choice of pasta (i toggle between bowtie, rotini, and angel hair)
tomato sauce (ragu/prego is fine)
grated parmesan cheese
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
parsley flakes or basil*

*all seasonings are added by you to suit your own tastes

boil 4 cups of pasta (1/2 box of typically any pasta) thoroughly; drain

mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of bread crumbs well, add seasonings & stir.

heat 1/2 cup of olive oil until hot enough to deep fry

take each chicken breast and coat with flour and bread crumbs mix (you can use an egg to coat first if you'd like, typically i don't use the egg unless i'm baking)

place chicken breasts one by one into hot olive oil. cook for 3 mins on each side or until golden brown; drain.

add stewed tomatoes to tomato sauce and simmer on stove top for 10 minutes. add basil/parsley flakes (if you like).

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

coat the baking pan (glass is best for pasta dishes) with pam or another non-stick material
spread the pasta to coat the bottom of the pan
place the chicken to coat the top of the pasta
pour the tomato sauce on top of the chicken
coat the dish with mozzarella cheese
bake for 15 mins
let stand for 5-10
sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, add basil/parsley flakes as a garnish

enjoy!

it is soooo good...and for you spice lovers out there, try adding cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers, or crushed red peppers to your tomato sauce. it is *that* much better, i promise!