Chicken Parmesan with Fresh, Chunky Tomato Sauce

Chicken parmesan is one of those old time Italian restaurant favorites. For some reason, it seems to be a dish that people do not prepare at home very often.  However, after fixing it for dinner last night and being reminded how satisfyingly delicious it is and how easy it is to make, chicken parmesan will certainly be a part of my regular dinner rotation.

The first thing I did, in preparing for this meal, was to make the fresh, chunky grape tomato sauce.  It is guaranteed to be one of the easiest sauces you have ever made.  Place 1 or 2 minced cloves of garlic in a cold sauce pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a few hot pepper flakes.  Turn on the burner and bring the garlic and oil up to temperature.  Cook until the garlic sizzles and turns golden brown.  Tumble in a container of grape tomatoes and stir to combine with the garlicky oil.  Cover the sauce pan and cook just until the grape tomatoes begin to burst, about 5 minutes.  Uncover, turn off the heat and drizzle in 1tsp. balsamic vinegar, sea salt and a handful of basil.    

I placed a boneless skinless chicken breast between two pieces of plastic and pounded it out to an even thickeness.  Next, I dredged the chicken breast through some flour, shook of the excess and then dipped it in an egg bath.  After shaking off the excess, I rolled the chicken in some fresh bread crumbs.  I preheated a large skillet with some olive oil and placed the chicken in the pan long enough to brown both sides, but not cook it through.  Top with a few spoonfuls of fresh tomato sauce and several slices of fresh mozzerella cheese and cook in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Remove when chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Serve the remaining sauce over spaghetti with a grate or two of fresh parmesan cheese.