Chicken Parmesan w/Penne Pasta

Step 1

Begin with the sauce: In med. saucepan, drizzle in a little olive oil. Add onions and sauté over med/low heat until almost translucent. Add garlic and cook for another couple minutes. Add in basil, oregano, pepper flakes, & sauce. Lower heat to simmer.

Step 2

To prepare chicken:

Step 3

In large zip lock bag, add 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp pepper. Shake to combine. Add in chicken tenders and shake to thoroughly coat chicken pieces.

Step 4

In med size shallow bowl, using a fork or whisk, mix the eggs until they are light and frothy.

Step 5

In shallow bowl or baking dish, combine together 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Step 6

Using tongs, take a piece of chicken from flour bag (shaking off excess flour, dip into egg mixture, then place into bread crumb/parmesan mixture, coat chicken thoroughly.

Step 7

Heat olive oil in large sauté pan over med low heat.

Step 8

Cook chicken in sauté pan a few pieces at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Remove cooked pieces and place on wire cooling rack (like the kind you'd use for cookie baking). Repeat dredging & frying process until all chicken has been cooked.

Step 9

In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions.

Step 10

To assemble: mix cooked pasta with pasta sauce, reserving about 1 cup. Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to saucy pasta. Pour into rectangle baking dish (freezer & oven safe). Place cooked chicken on top of pasta. Spoon on remaining pasta sauce and top with grated mozzarella & cheddar cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350* until hot and cheese is melted.