Easy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

• 1/2 large yellow onion, grated, about 3/4 cup of grated onion
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Pinch sugar
• 4 chicken breast cutlets
• Salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, Panko or homemade
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
• Cooked spaghetti, or sub rolls

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the onions and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and let it cook just until it smells wonderful, about a minute more.
2. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Let the sauce come up to a simmer, then turn the heat down so it keeps gently bubbling. Leave it uncovered while you get the chicken ready, about 10 to 12 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Set the chicken cutlets, 1 at a time, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. With a meat hammer, mallet, rolling pin, or a heavy empty wine bottle if that’s what you’ve got, pound or roll each piece until it’s an even 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Season the cutlets with salt on both sides.
4. In a shallow bowl that’s wide enough for the chicken, combine the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and a pinch of salt. In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs.
5. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, until the oil shimmers without smoking and a bit of breading sizzles when you drop it in. Take 1 cutlet at a time, coat it in the eggs, then press it into the breadcrumb mixture. Cook the cutlets in batches so the pan has enough room.
6. Turn the heat down to medium and fry the chicken gently until the cutlets are golden on each side, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
7. Spread enough tomato sauce in a 9x13 casserole pan or baking dish to cover the bottom generously. When the cutlets are browned on both sides, place them over the sauce in the dish.
8. Add tomato sauce over each cutlet, then scatter the sliced basil on top. Lay mozzarella slices over the chicken and finish with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mozzarella starts to brown.
10. Serve with pasta and the remaining sauce, or tuck the chicken into a large roll.