Easy Delicious Baked Chicken Parmesan

It’s been a WHILE since I’ve done a recipe, and I’ve decided it was time to share this one with you because it’s the perfect Sunday night meal.

Easy Delicious Baked Chicken Parmesan

A few things about this recipe: 1) as a healthier alternative I bake my chicken instead of frying, but it comes out just as good, I assure you; 2) you will have leftover sauce, which you can freeze to later use for pasta dish or preferably, more chicken parm (because you can never have too much chicken parm); and 3) there’s a bit of irony here, because I don’t actually use Parmesan cheese – I prefer Pecorino Romano in place of Parmesan in nearly every instance, and ESPECIALLY in this dish. And don’t worry, it comes out equally, if not more, delicious.

First, you’re going to need your sauce. If you’ve never made your own (it’s very easy, I assure you), you can grab my recipe here. If you have a favorite jarred sauce, go ahead and use that, but just don’t tell me about it because I’m Italian and my ears will bleed. You’ll need about 2 cups total for this dish, but again, freeze the excess and use it for something later.

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour (regular flour works just fine, but I prefer the taste the almond flour adds to the dish)
2 cups ‘Italian style’ breadcrumbs
4 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts, pounded about 1/2 inch thin
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk, but again, any milk will do)
1 container fresh mozzarella (about 1/2 lb.), sliced thin (I like the kind you can find at Whole Foods, but if you live anywhere in proximity to Casa Della Mozzarella on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, GO THERE IMMEDIATELY and purchase their fresh mozzarella. And could you ship me some? Thanks.)
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
approx. 2 cups of marinara sauce (see paragraph above)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450. Prepare 3 bowls side-by-side (this will be your dipping station): 1 with the almond flour, 1 with the breadcrumbs, and 1 with the eggs. Add the milk to the eggs and gently whisk to blend. Add 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano to the breadcrumbs and stir to combine. (Note: I like to also add extra oregano and garlic powder to the breadcrumb mixture – about 1 tsp. of each – but a simple “Italian style” breadcrumb will do just fine.)

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with a bit of olive oil or butter. Now it’s time to begin your dipping process of coating the chicken breasts: first into the flour to give it a thin coating, then into the egg mixture, and lastly, into the breadcrumb mixture. Be sure the chicken breasts are evenly coated with each mixture as you go. Place each piece of chicken onto your greased cookie sheet, side-by-side. (At this point, I like to drizzle just a tiny bit of olive oil over the chicken breasts to help with browning while in the oven.) Place chicken in the oven, and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Once chicken has baked, remove from oven, and flip each breast over. Spread a few tablespoons of your marinara sauce over each breast. Next, layer a few pieces of the sliced mozzarella, then top with the remainder of the Pecorino Romano, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown/bubble.

You’re done! Plate these babies up and serve. The nice thing about this dish is that the chicken breasts come out so large that you really don’t need a side dish, but if you like, you can serve it up with a light salad with olive oil/vinegar dressing.

Buon Appetito!