9.5 Chicken Parm

This is not necessarily my most coveted (its no Summer Chili), but it has been ranked 9.5 on a 10-point scale by 2nd Lt. Heilmann himself. I like it because it is easy and if you happen to have the Italian staples most kitchens have like tomatoes, chicken, bread crumbs, etc. its easy. It's also really easy to mix with your personality. I'm personally not a creamy sauce person, I'm a tomato person (at some point I will post the are you a cream or tomato person quiz on here, but for now I bet you can guess what you are), but this can be altered no matter what you like. I must give a warning, I couldn't remember exactly how I made it the first time because I tend to use whatever ingredient is in the cupboard, regardless of the directions, so feel free to tweak and tell me what worked!

Takes about an hr to make (If choosing baking option, do the chicken first and make the sauce while the chicken is baking to save time).

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (hopefully from more than one chicken)
2 eggs (or egg whites if you want to be healthy)
2 cups (really an estimate, whatever you need to cover the chicken) of Italian bread crumbs
1 jar of Diablo pasta sauce (or whatever you happen to have leftover in the fridge)
small package of high end mozzarella cheese, the soft, solid kind (optional for the cheesy types)
package of shredded Parmesan cheese
container of fresh powdery, grated Parmesan cheese
1 can of diced tomatoes (I like the one with oregano, onion, and garlic)
1 red onion
small container of heavy cream (REAL cream, people! also optional for creamy people)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 Tablespoon of oregano
*any other generic Italian seasonings you can find in your spice rack

Directions: This recipes comes with two options. One for baking and one for frying. Option A I like infinitely better, but like I said its all about personal taste, so if you like baking (and or didn't go to the gym today), go for baking.

1. Melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion until garlic is browned and onion in translucent (about 3 mins). Pour in diced tomatoes and sugar and let simmer. Add in some tomato sauce (amount varies on how thick or thin you want the sauce, I would say a few oz. should be good). Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Creamy people should add in a few tablespoons of the cream until desired creaminess has occurred. DON'T use the whole container, only a few oz at the most or you won't taste the tomato anymore. Put top on and keep warm while prepping the chicken.
2. Stir together bread crumbs, oregano, Italian spices, grated Parmesan in dipping bowl
3. Different dipping bowl fork the eggs and a bit of milk if you have it.
4. Pound the chicken and cut off excess fat. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg mixture to coat, then in the bread crumb mixture until fully coated.

Option A (frying):
5a. Heat oil in pan on medium-high heat. Add coated chicken and cook on both sides until brown (about 10 mins per side). Turn oven on to preheat at 350

Option B (baking):
5b. Place coated chicken in a baking dish and cook for 40 mins at 350 degrees

6. Put chicken in baking dish, if you haven't already, and cover liberally with warm sauce from stove. Top with shredded Parmesan, and mozzarella if you chose to use it. Let cook for 20 mins or until the cheese is melted.
7. (optional) serve with penne pasta on the side

Serve and enjoy!