Chicken Paremsan with Farfalle

Not sure what to make with the chicken breast I had in the refridgerator, I started to think of old favorites. Chicken parm is one of them. A very comforting dish, that is easy and pretty light on the time it takes to prepare. The thing I love most about this dish is the cheese. Melted cheese on anything is good in my book though. I used 3 pretty thick chicken breast halves and instead of pounding them thin, I thought I'd leave them be. I made a quick marinara with some ingredients I had on hand, and this dish came together in no longer than 45 minutes. The only pasta I had on hand was farfalle, and it worked perfectly. Because this was a pretty hearty meal Chad and I felt it was appropriate to skip the salad or bread. I'm glad we did, I could only eat half of what I put on my plate.

Quick Marinara

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp. of each: dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, red papper flakes
  2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 8oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• pinch of sugar
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and pepper and cook until onion is transluscent. Add garlic, thyme, other herbs, and bay leaves and cook a couple minutes more. Add tomato products, and beef broth and stir to combine. Let it come to a simmer and simmer 25-30 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup for chicken. Toss the pasta in the pot and stir to combine.

Chicken Parmesan

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season
• 1/2 cup flour for dredging
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbs. water
• canola oil for frying
• 1/2 cup mozzarella
• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan

Heat oven to 350.

Season chicken and dredge in flour, egg and water wash, and then bread crumbs. Heat a skillet over med. heat and add oil. Fry chicken breasts a couple minutes on each side to get a nice crust. Transfer to a dish top with marinara and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and let the cheese get a nice brown color, about 5 minutes more