Chicken Parmesan and Bakery-Style Icing: Oh yeah!

When I started my at-home-mom gig, part of my aspirations included doing a really good job of cooking for my family. So, I’ve been trying lots of different recipes from random books I’ve had for years but never had the time to explore.

Pinterest has also been a source of some good ideas, and one that I found was a recipe for homemade chicken parmesan.

Miss Sassy Pants has – until recently – been a notoriously picky eater (like most 5,6, and 7 year olds). But when she tried my meatloaf and liked it and then tried a chicken taco and liked it, I thought I’d start branching out.

I made the Pinterest chicken parmesan a few weeks ago, and she LOVED it. She begged me to make it a few weeks later, but I got lazy and just bought a store-made version. None of us liked it as much, and it tickled me for her to say, “Gosh, Mama, I really like yours a LOT better!”

Perfect compliment led to me making it again, but I didn’t have time to look the recipe up again. So, I went off of memory, improvised a bit, and it was a success. I’m so proud, I felt like I had to share.

I give you my recipe for Chicken Parmesan. I’m going to call it “Miss Sassy Pants Chicken Parm.”

Miss Sassy Pants Chicken Parm
4 chicken breasts, cut in half (I suggest not using frozen chicken unless you’ve thawed it.)
1 cup bread crumbs (I use the plain bread crumbs that come in a container)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
1 cup mozzarella cheese (you can use less, but my family likes cheese!)
1/2 cup favorite pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a bowl, combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
In another bowl, put egg whites.

One at a time, place breast halves in egg whites (not too drippy) and then coat with breading on each side. Place breaded chicken on a baking pan covered with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken over, and put a spoonful of pasta sauce and a sprinkling of cheese on each. Return to oven and bake for 5-10 more minutes (or until cheese is good and melty).

That’s it! Makes enough for 4 people — for us, that means a big helping for Aaron and leftovers for him for the next day.

I like to make some spaghetti or pasta on the side for the “full” experience. Makes for an awesome dinner.

I must also share that I made cupcakes last night (king-sized – have you heard of this? King-sized cupcakes are tall rather than wide and so cool!) Anyway, I had been searching for the perfect frosting, and I think I’ve found it here:

Bakery Style Frosting at My Madison Bistro

The only thing I did differently than the link above is that I didn’t have non-hydrogenated shortening. The regular Crisco I had worked just fine. I’m going to keep playing with the flavoring, but it turned our really nicely!

Have fun!