SImple and Delicious Chicken Parmigiana

I have made chicken parmigiana basically two ways.  One is making a batter, coating the chicken and browning it in a pan with some olive oil and butter.  The other way is by coating the chicken with a breadcrumb mixture and browning the same way.

Tonight I decided to try something a bit different.  I had three bowls for dipping.  The first bowl had just flour, probably a cupful.

The second bowl had 2 eggs and 2 tbs of Dijon mustard beaten together.

The third bowl had a combination of Panko breadcrumbs and some Italian-seasoned wheat breadcrumbs (about 2 cups each), 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.



I began by pounding the chicken breasts so that they were an even thickness.  After drying them off, I dredged them in the flour first.  Then an egg wash, followed by the Panko crumb mixture.  I made sure I pressed down on the crumbs so that there was a nice thick coating.












 



I browned them in a pan with some olive oil and maybe a tablespoon of butter, about 5-10 minutes on each side.  Have a paper towel nearby to drain them on.














The last step was to arrange the chicken in a casserole dish.  I had some shaved Parmesan and Asiago cheeses and covered each breast. 

Spoon your favorite pasta sauce over the top, followed by some shredded cheese (whatever you have on hand).  Pop into a pre-heated 375 degree oven and cook for about 20 minutes or so, until the cheese is nicely melted. 












Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes,

 
While the chicken is cooking in the oven, I cooked up a little pasta to have on the side.  Just before serving, I added some fresh chopped parsley.  This whole meal took just about an hour to make.  I'm not sure if it was the Dijon mustard in egg that made it taste so delicious, but I have to say every bite was amazing!  And, the chicken had a nice crunchy coating on it.