Parmesan Chicken Breasts

(This recipe was first posted in conjunction with the Meijer Ad Week 1/15/12-1/21/12)

I have a lot of chicken recipes, but this is one of my favorites...partly because the prep time is so short, and partly because it always turns out juicy, tender, and flavorful.  I've been told that this "tastes like something from Carrabbas!"


Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces
3 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C dry bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
Thaw chicken.  Use a kitchen scissors to trim any visible fat from each piece.  (This prevents those disgustingly chewy, rubbery chunks!)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Dip chicken in melted butter.  Place in a greased 8 x 11 or 9 x 13 pan (depending on how large your chicken pieces are).  Sprinkle chicken pieces with all remaining ingredients, in order given.  Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes (thinner pieces will be done in 20 minutes, but if your pieces are thicker, leave the pan in for the full 25 minutes).

Options and Tips

• If you purchase frozen, bagged chicken instead of fresh, the breasts are thinner, and generally take only 3-4 hours to thaw.
• This recipe is practically no-fail.  You can use any number of chicken breast pieces, and adjust the rest of the ingredients by eye.  Most of the time, I don't even measure when making this anymore...just start sprinkling!
• If you're baking chicken for this recipe anyway, why not trim the fat off a few more pieces and bake them (plain) in a separate pan?  Flip the pieces over half-way through baking, cool, and then dice them up.  Divide into 2 cup portions, put in sandwich bags, and then into a Ziploc freezer bag.  Freeze until ready to use.  You just made your next chicken casserole prep a whole lot shorter :)

This recipe came from my mom, Mary Kregel.  (Do you see a pattern here?)  It can be found in its original form on page 285 of Heritage Christian School's "Favorite Family Recipes" cookbook.  I made a few minor alterations to the prep instructions.