Chicken, Mio amore!

Italian Baked Chicken

Marinara

1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
5 TBSP tomato sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
3/4 can rotel (diced tomatoes)
pinch salt
(p.s. if you're short on time, just use canned marinara)

Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup parmesan
1 cup italian style bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs with italian seasoning mixed in)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs beaten
1 to 1 and 1/2 TBSP olive oil

Marinara:  Saute onion and garlic in olive oile.  Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  Stir for 2 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.  Put half of sauce on the bottom of a  buttered baking dish and set remaining half aside.

Chicken:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine bread crumbs and cheese.  Dip each chicken breast in flour, then eggs, then bread crumb/cheese mix.  In a large pan, heat olive oil.  Saute chicken on medium high heat for about 2 minutes per side.  Move chicken to baking dish and top with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  (I pounded out my chicken until they were uniform and a little bit thinner.  Thirty minutes was plenty after tenderizing.)

You can see why I had to flatten some of the cluckers.  They weren't very uniform.

There wasn't very much to coat the bottom of the pan but you don't really need a ton.

The dredging trifecta

Color me flavor locked!  Don't they look yum already!?!

Before baking

After baking

GET...IN...MY....BELLAY!!!