So simple, so good

Dear Home-ec 101:

That’s it, I’m done! As of today we’re going to start eating at home. Well, if I can learn to cook. I need Hamburger Helper easy. What do you suggest?

Hungry in Hartford

Heather says:

You won’t be hungry for long. The best part is, a lot of the simplest recipes are kid friendly. It won’t be long before you’re cooking with the best of them

Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken - serves four

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 clove garlic minced (yes, you can use the garlic in water if you really want to)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (If you’re a novice, go ahead and get the Italian crumbs and skip the rest of the seasoning in the recipe)
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt/pepper to taste (estimate 1/4 tsp or so)
• marinara sauce (or a jar of spaghetti sauce)
• pasta of your choice (prepare according to directions)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella

First, take out all of your pent up aggression on your chicken breasts. Before pounding them, I do recommend covering with wax paper and setting your cutting board on a towel or two to absorb some of the shock. This part is kind of fun, I use a rolling pin, but a mallet would do. Pound the chicken until it’s about 1/2″ thick. Cut the breasts in half.

Preheat your oven to 350˚.

Melt the 1/4 cup butter over low heat and add the garlic.

In a shallow dish thoroughly mix your breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, and seasoning. Dip your chicken, one piece at a time, into the melted butter then into the breadcrumbs, making sure you coat each piece. Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes. While the chicken is baking, heat the marinara sauce and pasta. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer, it should be 170˚-175˚.

Spoon marinara over each breast and sprinkle with grated mozzarella. Return the sheet to the oven until the cheese has melted.

Serve and enjoy.