Last week was a little crazy at our house. Between school runs, unkind weather, tiny’s fever + cough, kids’ activities and the usual day to day stuff, I didn’t have much time for food prep or planning.
Generally, I love cooking from scratch – sauces, breads, stocks, you name it, I’ll give it a go and enjoy it. But sometimes a person’s gotta have a stash of easy recipes for (d)rainy days.
My husband really likes Chicken Parmesan, and I make the real version every so often. But a couple of months ago I ate a lovely chicken parm casserole at a friend’s place, and thought ‘How smart is that?!’.
Since then I’ve made this dish quite a bit, and my children have devoured it every single time. It’s easy, it’s simple, it’s tasty and so very kid friendly.
I changed my friend’s recipe a tad. I almost always play with ingredients to suit my taste (a big thanks to my parents for instilling that), and in this case it made the work go a little faster. With the way things were going last week, any little speed was welcome.
The little one’s fever has gone, the weather is better and the crazy has toned down to manageable Alhamdulillah:-). You know what they say :
This always makes me laugh 😉
Here’s how I make the Chicken Parmesan casserole :
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Take 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Slice into half horizontally. and cut into pieces. About 6-8 pieces per chicken breast.
- Marinate chicken with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp chopped basil(optional),1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
- Oil a baking dish. Place the chicken pieces in the dish. DO NOT OVERLAP.
- Pour 1 cup pasta sauce over the chicken.
- Mix ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on chicken.
- In a separate bowl, mix ½ cup Panko bread crumbs, ½ tsp Italian seasoning and 2 tbsp olive oil. Spread evenly over the chicken/cheese layer.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked. The top layer should be golden brown and toasted. Serve with a side salad or veggies, and a lovely loaf of bread to sop up that sauce. Enjoy.
Note : If needed, place under the broiler for an extra couple of minutes to make the topping deliciously crunchy.