Chicken Parmesan is my husband’s favorite dish so I used to make it all the time when we were first married. But once I had kids I realized I needed to come up with a much faster version of the same dish and make it kid friendly. So Chicken Parmesan Two-Ways was born.
I typically don’t like to “dumb down” food for kids, I believe kids should eat what ever the grown ups are eating and eventually their taste buds will catch up! I know this is not always the case and many times when my kids were really young they wouldn’t eat anything on their plate. So I became more flexible and always had something on the plate that I knew they would eat. It made everyone’s life easier and I didn’t feeling like a total failure as a mom.
My version of Chicken Parmesan is simple and still really delicious. I start by using thin sliced chicken breasts which cuts down on the cooking time and they cook up in under 10 minutes. Plus I use jarred marinara sauce so there’s no starting from scratch here!
Since I always want my kids to eat the same meal as us adults I came up with a kid friendly version of the same dish that can be made at the same time, hence “Chicken Parmesan Two-Ways!” Just pick up a package of chicken tenders and follow all the same steps and voila- Chicken Parmesan Strips! They use the jarred marinara sauce for dipping and that’s it, everyone is happy and asking for seconds. You can make both versions for dinner or just one. Either way, its quick, easy and tasty meal everyone will enjoy.
Chicken Parmesan Two-Ways
Crispy Chicken with a golden Parmesan crust is served up two ways in this classic Italian dish.
Ingredients
- 4 Thin sliced Chicken Breasts, (Boneless & Skinless) AND/OR 1 Package of Chicken Breast Tenders
- 1 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated plus more for topping
- 2 Eggs
- 2-3 dashes of Tabasco
- Olive Oil for cooking
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 Jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce
- *Optional 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine breadcrumbs & cheese in a shallow bowl or dish. In a separate shallow bowl beat 2 eggs with Tabasco, salt & pepper.
If using regular size Chicken breasts before you begin you either need to flatten the chicken or cut the breast in half horizontally.
To flatten, place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper down on a cutting board. Place chicken down on plastic. Cover chicken with another piece of plastic wrap. Next pound with a meat tenderizer until about a 1/4 inch thin. - Season both sides of the Chicken with Salt & Pepper.
- Dip the chicken in egg. Make sure it’s fully coated and then pick it up and let excess egg drip off the chicken.
- Place the chicken into the breadcrumb & cheese mixture. Be sure both sides of chicken are fully coated. Press down to help the breadcrumbs stick.
- Place breaded chicken on a baking sheet covered with foil until ready to cook.
- Repeat steps until all chicken is done.
cooking instructions
1. Heat a nonstick pan coated with Olive Oil. Once oil is warm add chicken.
Meanwhile warm Marinara sauce until hot. Either on the stovetop or you could heat it up using the microwave.
IF COOKING CHICKEN BREASTS:
Cook chicken breasts over medium heat 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese after cooking and serve on a bed of warm marinara sauce.
*If you want to serve this the more traditional way. Top each breast with 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Then put on a foil lined baking sheet and broil on high for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven. Next, pour about 1/4 cup of the warm marinara sauce on the center of a plate. Place the chicken on top of the sauce and serve.
IF COOKING CHICKEN TENDERS:
Cook chicken tenders over medium heat 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from pan to a paper towel lined plate. Continue cooking tenders until all are cooked. You may need to add more oil in between batches. * SEE NOTE* Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese after cooking. Serve Chicken Tenders with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- When cooking the chicken you may need to add more oil in between batches. Be sure to let the new oil warm up before adding chicken. If the oil becomes too dark and burnt looking pour out the old oil and start with new. You don't want the chicken to take on the burnt flavor of the oil.
- If you can't find chicken tenders at the store thats ok, just cut chicken breasts into strips.
