Baked Chicken Parmesan

Baked Chicken Parmesan is a very tasty main entree for any cook to add to their recipe book. How can you go wrong with chicken, mozzarella cheese, and spaghetti sauce.

This recipe is super easy to make, and takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and another 30 minutes to bake. You can actually prepare this entree, and get some things done while your oven does most of the work.

Come back after 20 minutes, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of it, and pop it back into the oven. Now you have time to set the table, and the entree is ready after 10 more minutes. You do not have to be a chef to make this entree, it is a very simple recipe to follow. My family truly loves this recipe, and I hope that you and your family love it too.

Ingredients 

4 boneless chicken breasts (1-1 ? pounds)

1 beaten egg

? cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (26-28 oz.)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more or less if desired)

**This should serve four**

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dip chicken in beaten egg, then into the bread crumbs, and make sure they are coated well.

2.Arrange chicken in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish (or equivalent) and bake uncovered for about20 minutes.

3.Pour the spaghetti sauce over the chicken and then spread the cheese on top.

Bake another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly(no longer pink). Serve.

Enjoy your Meal!

By Laura Fleenor

How to Bake Chicken and Its Health Benefits

Some people can imagine chicken delicious only when it's fried. Granted one has to admit that it really does indeed taste great when cooked like that, but is it healthy? And if it is not healthy, is there another way to prepare chicken quick and easy which not only will taste great but also provide a much healthier option for those on a diet or who simply wish to watch what they and their families eat.

Well, in fact there is, there's a much better alternative of cooking it fried and indeed just as delicious, if not more - the simple question then is: Why not bake chicken?

It is not hard as it sounds either. By following simple instructions you are on your way to a healthy and great tasting meal.

To bake chicken we need either a whole chicken or 6 chicken breast pieces. Wash the dressed chicken thoroughly and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle enough salt and pepper to taste. If we want, we may put some marinade mix, like a concoction of rosemary herbs, thyme or oregano, dried or fresh. For simple marinade, try soy sauce and lemon. As we're doing these, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Now we're ready to bake chicken.

-Put the chicken on the baking dish. Then place it in the oven and make sure it is uncovered.

-Bake chicken for an hour and a half in 350 degrees till we see the chicken skin turn into a luscious and juicy golden brown.

-Place inside a meaty part of the chicken a meat thermometer to check if the meat temperature has reached 170 degrees. If it has then we're ready to take it out of the oven.

To bake chicken thighs we need the meat temperature to reach 180 degrees. These standard meat temperatures make sure we bake chicken well with all parts cooked. Half-cooked chicken, or any meat for that matter, can cause stomach upset or even food poisoning.

-Then we cut the fleshy part of the meat deep. This should reveal white meat inside instead of pink and clear lip-smacking juice, not reddish. To bake chicken correctly all these tests should be satisfied. If not, we bake the chicken some more. Then we're ready to serve tender and juicy baked chicken, in all its yummy goodness.

When we opt to bake chicken we come out with a healthy and tastier chicken than when we fry it. Deep frying may be a good idea. But baked chicken is still many times better. When re-heating left-overs through the oven chicken often comes out tasting better than if we re-fry left-over chicken.

When we bake chicken we can even opt to stuff it with potatoes, or garlic and onions. There are lesser chances of burning the meat or ruining the skin cover. Lots of times, we need breading to fry chicken-that's added cholesterol. If we merely bake chicken there is no need for any covering on the skin surface.

So opt to bake chicken more often. It will surely do well for our taste, health, and family.

By John Grant