Baked Chicken Parmesan

Not long ago; last month, to be exact, I posted my basic parm chicken recipe. Every once in a while I like to do it a little different by baking it instead of pan-frying. It seems lighter and it is easier to make since you just throw it in the oven instead of monitoring it over the stove. 
So, here's a mostly-the-same, but slightly-altered way to make a golden, encrusted, 8X13 pan of baked chicken parmesan. 

What you need:


1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 eggs, beaten. You could probably get away with using just 1
1/4 C. shredded parmesan cheese
1 T. olive oil
1/3 C. seasoned bread crumbs (For gluten-free, I just toasted two pieces of Trader Joe's Brown Rice bread, and pulsed to crumb in the food processor. Add some fresh basil sprigs or 1/4 tsp. dried basil for added seasoning)


1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 C. marinara sauce for topping, optional


How you make it:


Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray baking pan/dish with non-stick spray or lightly grease. 


Pat dry and pound chicken till flat/thinner or slice in half to make cutlets (place chicken on cutting board. Place hand on top of chicken. With a sharp, large knife, slice through middle with your knife parallel to the cutting board)


Dip chicken in eggs, then parmesan. Lay chicken in prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes till chicken is nearly done. Sprinkle on the bread crumbs (I like the homemade kind as mentioned above, so it's got big chunks of breading.) Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil. Continue baking for another 10 minutes or so till golden and crusty. Yum-O. :)


You can sprinkle on some mozzarella cheese at the very end and let melt, and serve with marinara sauce on the side. Or, some people like to toss the sauce with some noodles and serve the chicken over that. We opted out of the noodle thing this time. Just had a green salad on the side. 


On a side note, our 4-year-old, said while gobbling his cut-up chicken pieces, "These are yummy chicken nuggets!" Love it. At least I know what these "nuggets" were made out of...