Yummy Chicken Parmesan

This is why I am ALMOST a vegetarian. This Chicken Parm recipe packs a lot of flavor and is sure to be a hit with adults and kids. I took most of this from Tyler Florence at the food network, making a few modifications to suit my tastes and to make the prep a bit easier.

* 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* (Kosher) salt and (freshly ground) black pepper
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 cup dried bread crumbs
* 1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
* 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained.
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 26-oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
* 1-2 packages of Ravioli or pasta, cooked al dente

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet (or even with the side of your jar of sauce), until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, mix in most of the Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Slice the fresh mozzarella and lay evenly on the chicken. Ladle the tomato sauce over the chicken/mozzarella and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with ravioli/spaghetti. Last night I also made a side of roasted veggies which made a nice healthy compliment to this wonderful meal.