Chicken Parmigiana

Serves 2

3 tablespoons butter

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 cup Marinara sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Put three tablespoons of butter in a square glass baking dish and place the dish in the oven to melt the butter.

Place a chicken breast in a large freezer bag and pound it out until it becomes flatter and the thickness is a bit more even.  Repeat for the second chicken breast.

Pour the breadcrumbs on a plate.  In a separate bowl, coat the chicken in Dijon mustard.  Then dip each piece of chicken in the breadcrumbs, so that both sides are coated with crumbs.

Remove the baking dish with the melted butter from the oven and place the chicken in the dish.  Return the dish to the oven and cook the chicken for 15 minutes.  Flip the chicken over and cook for another 15 minutes.  Then pour the Marinara sauce onto the chicken (I like to let it run off of the sides a little bit).  And sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken.  Return to the oven and continue to cook until the cheese melts.  You can broil it a little bit if you would like.

Serve with spaghettini or angel hair pasta, extra sauce, and some vegetables.  (The picture above is roasted asparagus with olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper.)   Also note, I usually eat half of my chicken and save the other half for lunch.  And this recipe can very, very easily be adapted to feed more people - just add more chicken and bump up the quantities of everything else