Chicken Parmesan

It was so cold outside yesterday that I didn't want to leave the house. Lucky for me, I had everything I needed to make this dish.

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

bread crumbs

oregano

granulated garlic

1-2 eggs

fresh Parmesan-Romano cheese, grated

fresh basil

1 jar of sauce

1 pkg pasta

1 loaf fresh bread

1 bulb garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

Start with the garlic bread. Cut the top third off a whole bulb of garlic. Wrap loosely in foil and place on an oven safe pan. Top garlic with olive oil. Cook at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. Set aside to let it cool for a while.

Pound chicken until flat. On a plate, mix bread crumbs with oregano, granulated garlic and freshly grated cheese. Beat eggs with a little bit of water. Dip each chicken breast into egg mixture, then press each side into bread crumbs. Lay on a large cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Cook at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked throughout.

While chicken is cooking, prepare pasta and sauce according to the directions on the package. Time according to when the chicken will be done.

Grate additional cheese for topping. Prep basil leaves by removing from stems. Wrap the smaller leaves inside the larger leaves, roll up and slice about 1/4 in thick slices. Gently loosen sliced basil and set aside for topping.

When the garlic has cooled enough to handle, gently pop the garlic cloves out of the skins, then mash with a fork. Slice the bread and top with a little butter and plenty of the mashed garlic. Spray another cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place bread, garlic side up, onto cookie sheet and put in the oven with the chicken for the last 5-10 minutes to toast.

Plate the chicken and pasta and top with sauce. Add cheese and basil and a couple slices of the bread. Grab a glass of wine, and dinner is ready!

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't, and it's so yummy!