Recipe of the Week!

Champion Chicken Parmesan
~ courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Notes from the Peanut Gallery : This is a super simple recipe that I suggest to anyone. Easy enough for a weeknight but 'nice' enough to impress company! I personally have tried the recipe with the {included} sauce recipe, and with my own home made spaghetti sauce and, of course, home made is always better. It also fairs well with your favorite store brand if you're in a pinch.

Try Asiago or provolone cheese in place of the mozzarella.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1 cup sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, and 3/4 cup pasta)

Ingredients

• Tomato sauce:
• 1 ounce sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 
  Chicken:
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 cups hot cooked linguine (about 6 ounces uncooked pasta)

Preparation

To prepare tomato sauce, combine sun-dried tomatoes and water in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop tomatoes.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion; sauté 7 minutes. Stir in canned tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, basil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic.

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare chicken, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a shallow dish. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dip each breast half in egg white; dredge in flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Arrange in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour the tomato sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Serve over linguine.