Monday's Menu

In my quest to remove processed food from our diets, I decided to try a new version of Chicken Parmesan. The old one was one of the few recipes that required a prepared chicken patty to make (primarily because I didn't know how to make them) and used spaghetti sauce (although it was my homemade from home grown tomatoes so that was real food) and shredded parmesan (I have been trying not to buy already shredded cheese because of the anti-caking chemical they dust it with - yuck! Grass fed is a little harder to find 'round here but I'm trying).

I knew that Pioneer Woman's recipe started with chicken breasts and all the basics so I gave it a try. I don't have a mallet to pound the breasts flat with but I have two rolling pins so it was all good. A rolling pin worked like a charm. I was very tempted after frying up the chicken to just stop there and eat. But I carried on.

Our only issue was that the sauce was a little too sweet. It may have been the cooking wine I used or the small amount of sugar you are supposed to add. I probably wouldn't put in the sugar next time. I think it might be perfect without that.

We used whole wheat noodles which were obviously not linguine. I think you could probably use whatever noodle you want though. Even with the over sweetness, it was good enough that there were only a few noodles and some extra sauce left. 

Definitely a keeper. The original website with the recipe is here. Let me know if you give it a try.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana

• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)
• 3 cans Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/4 cube Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound Thin Linguine

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.
Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.
At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.
Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.
Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.
Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.
Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.