Chicken Parmesan

I make chicken parmesan quite frequently.  It's one of the most comforting, and delicious, things I make on a regular basis.  I usually eyeball the ingredients but I actually took the time to measure this out tonight so I know it's accurate.

I've scaled this up and down depending on how many people I'm feeding but this is a good amount in that it gives us at least one more meal of leftovers.  It's not a quick meal but it's not overly complicated.  I usually serve this with a salad and some spaghetti.

Tonight I made it with a whole pound of whole wheat spaghetti (which was way too much food).  So we have a lot of spaghetti and about half the chicken left over -- not that that's a bad thing. :)

The breadcrumb mixture is a little more than you need to actually coat the chicken, but I never like to risk running out.  I don't reuse it though as I'm leery of keeping raw chicken soaked breadcrumbs to reuse at some point in the future.

Overall, this is a delicious and simple meal that I will continue to make over and over.  We just never tire of it.  :)

2 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
2 eggs
1 c. plain breadcrumbs
6 tbs. grated parmesan (divided)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
~1 c. spaghetti sauce
3-4 tbs. olive oil

1.  In a medium bowl, mix breadcrumbs, 3 tbs. parmesan, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper.  In a second bowl, beat eggs.
2.  Butterfly the chicken breasts and then cut each half in half (so you have 8 relatively thin pieces of chicken).
3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 3 tbs. olive oil.  (You may need to add more oil to the pan while the chicken is cooking if the pan looks dry - just keep an eye on it.)
4.  Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat with all 8 pieces, placing each piece into the pan as you coat it.  Fry until golden brown, flipping halfway through to brown on both sides (about 4-5 minutes on the first side and 3-4 on the second).
5.  While the chicken is cooking, spread 1/2 c. of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan or casserole dish.  When the chicken is browned, transfer to the lasagna pan.  Top each piece of chicken evenly with the remaining sauce (about 1 tbs. on each piece).  Top with mozzarella cheese and the remaining parmesan.
6.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.

(To serve it with the pasta, I started the pasta water just before I was about to put the chicken in the oven.  Everything was done at about the same time.)