Fried Chicken Parmesan…Wow!

Awhile back, I made Popcorn Chicken Parmesan, which is a quick and easy dish, but yesterday I had more time on my hands, so I made Fried Chicken Parmesan. My recipe is based off Aaron McCargo, Jr. (aka Big Daddy on Food Network).  Big Daddy’s chicken parmesan, while incredibly delicious, is some work. It involves pounding the chicken breast until it is thin, breading, and frying. However, if you have the time, the results are so worth it.

 

 

Chicken Parmesan

1 cup thin spaghetti

1 Jar spaghetti sauce

Deli sliced mozzarella cheese

Chicken Breast

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

Flour

Salt, pepper, seasonings

Vegetable oil

 

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Mix eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and seasonings (or you can use a packaged chicken breader, such as “House of Autry”) in another shallow bowl. Place chicken breast in a heavy duty zip lock bag and pound it flat. Dredge the chicken through the egg mixture, shaking off any excess, then through the flour mixture.  Place chicken in heated oil, frying approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. While you are frying the chicken, heat the spaghetti sauce in small pan.  Place hot chicken on top of cooked pasta, cover with a slice of mozzarella cheese, and top with the heated spaghetti.  Serve with a vegetable and garlic bread.

The Verdict

Chicken Parmesan is a ton of work to prepare, but the taste is so good!

Heavenly Margherita Naan Pizza

I love pizza, but I really love Margherita Pizza. I have been trying for months to create a margherita pizza at home that rivaled the one that I used to get from 518 West Italian Grill in Raleigh, NC and I finally did it! My kids and I picked up some naan bread while at Wal-Mart to make personal pizzas for lunch today, and while I made traditional cheese pizzas for the kids, I decided to try making myself a margherita pizza.

 

Margherita Naan Pizza

1 naan bread

Mozzarella cheese (I used sliced mozzarella)

¼ can diced tomatoes

Fresh basil or (Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic)

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 425. Lightly brush the naan bread with olive oil and cover with mozzarella slices. Sprinkle the cheese with garlic powder, then the diced tomatoes. I was out of fresh basil, so  I sprinkled the tomatoes with the Mrs. Dash to give it added flavor and color. Bake on the lowest rack for about 10 minutes.
The Verdict
The Margherita naan pizza was delicious! The crust was crispy, the cheese was gooey, and the tomatoes were juicy. My only disappointment was that I did not make two pizzas!

Cheesy Baked Penne

Baked penne is an easy classic to make, and just one of the many Italian dishes that I make on a regular basis. We eat a lot of Italian in my house, much to my daughter’s annoyance. But, really, who can pass up pasta, tomato sauce, and melted cheese? If you can, you are way stronger than I am. Of course, I did not use a recipe for the Baked Penne, but I do have a few little quirks that make my dish my own.

I used the Barilla Piccolini Mini Penne, I like the smaller pasta sizes, so I buy the mini versions whenever I can. I used three different meats in the dish, ground beef, ground turkey, and ground sausage. Throw in an 8 oz. bag of shredded cheese, either mozzarella, pizza blend, or a combination. Toss in a jar of spaghetti sauce, and my secret ingredient, a little bit of zesty Italian dressing (a trick I learned from Kraft Foods). Mix in all in a baking dish, bake covered at 350˚ for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

 

 

The Verdict

Baked penne is main stay in my house because it is a hit with everyone in the family. This is one of those dishes where the leftovers are just as good, if not better than the first time around.