This is one of my all-time favorite meals. It isn’t hard to make, but it does take a good amount of time. I recommend making this on a lazy weekend night when you’ve got nothing to do but sip a delicious Chianti.
You will need:
Chicken breasts pounded thin
Cooked spaghetti noodles
½ C diced onion
½ C diced carrots
½ C diced celery
2 cloves minced garlic
2- 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
2 eggs
1 Tbls milk
3 Tbls grated Parmesan (believe it or not, the cheese in a can will work for this!)
2 C Italian breadcrumbs
1 bundle of thyme
2 tsps fresh basil (1 tsp if you’re using dried...but try to use fresh here, it makes all the difference)
2 bay leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Make the sauce: Over medium-high heat in a dutch oven, combine 2 Tbls olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes. Turn heat to low. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and the sauce has a thick consistency. Leave the lid off the sauce- this allows it to thicken by letting more steam escape. When sauce is done, remove bay leaves and thyme bundle (thyme leaves will have dropped into the sauce- that is a good thing!).
Make the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dredge chicken in milk, eggs, parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. In a screaming hot pan* with olive oil, fry chicken just until coating is browned. Remove chicken to a baking dish and place in oven to finish cooking. Bake until chicken is cooked through (approx. 10 minutes, depending on thickness). Pour sauce over baking dish of chicken- don’t drown the chicken, but do cover it.
You can save leftover sauce for noodle dishes throughout the week. Sprinkle more cheese over the chicken and sauce- pop back in oven on broil just until cheese starts to bubble.
Serve chicken over pasta with a sprinkle of fresh basil.
*Pro-tip: A good way to determine if oil is hot enough: toss a cube of bread into the oil. If it soaks up oil and doesn’t fry, keep warming up the skillet. If it begins frying when it hits the oil, you’re ready!
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