Chicken Two Ways

This originally was supposed to be a post about Chicken Parmesan  but seeing that you eat less than a kids' size portion of food, I thought I would figure out how you could make two unique meals out of one pack of chicken. First let's tackle the shopping list. Here is what you need:

• One package of thin cut chicken breast
• Panko or Japanese style bread crumbs
• Eggs
• Pasta sauce of your choice
• Box of pasta of your preference
• Bag of Italian blend shredded cheese
• Parmesan cheese

I. Ok let's fix the chicken.Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Take out one egg and add one tablespoon of water and mix them together in a wide flat dish. This is called an egg wash. This will make the breadcrumb adhere to the chicken. Next, place about a cup of the breadcrumbs in a zip top bag or in a container so can dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs. Now, season the chicken to your liking. I keep it simple, but you can overboard if you want to. Also at this point, add some of your seasoning to the egg wash too, it will ensure layers of flavor. Add enough oil to the bottom of the hot pan to cover it, you are not deep frying here, just enough oil to cover, more can be added if it gets soaked up by the breading.

Now time to cook the chicken! Dip the season chicken in the egg wash first, cover both sides. I know it will be slimy, get over it. Put each piece of egg dipped chicken in the breadcrumbs. Make sure all the chicken is coated with the crumbs. Place the breaded chicken in the pan, making sure that the pieces are not touching. If your pan is not big enough, the chicken will not brown, it will just be a gooey mess. Cook the chicken on the first side until golden brown. BUT do not keep checking it!!! It needs contact with the pan to get crispy. If you keep fiddling with it, it will not cook properly. So since these are thin cut pieces, check the first side after about five minutes.

When the first side has some golden brown color, flip it and do the same to the other side. You do not want to over cook the meat. If there are spots that are not the right color for you, you can flip it back over at the end for a few seconds, but do not turn the meat into chicken jerky. Once you have browned the chicken, drain it on paper towels and set it aside.

II.  Rewind....if you are going to eat this as Chicken Parm, then you need to be boiling a pot of water for pasta and preheat the oven to about 400 degrees for the second part of the chicken. So let's proceed like you did all that already. Take two pieces of the cooked chicken and place it in a baking dish. Pour some of your favorite pasta sauce on top. It does not need to be hot already. Next, layer on some cheese. I have used slices of provolone in the past. I did not find it very flavorful, but it melts nicely. Any way, put the chicken in the oven, and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly. This gives you just enough time to cook your pasta. Since you are feeding just you, I do not see a reason to dirty an entire dish to warm up the rest of the sauce. You can toss the hot pasta with the sauce before serving and that should be just suffice in getting warm. Now if you were fixing a large version, yes, you will have to pull out a pot and heat the sauce, but not for just you. Take the chicken out of the oven, serve with you pasta, add some bread or salad and you have a meal! Hooray!!!

III There should two extra pieces of chicken left over. If you slice this chicken into strips, it becomes chicken fingers. You could chop the chicken and put it on a salad. Add two slice of bread, bacon,lettuce and mayo, it becomes a sandwich...you get the point. One package of meat can turn into multiple meals for you. Enjoy and let me know how it turns out.