Let Your Crock-Pot Create a Delicious Chicken Parmesan While You're at Work
Pleasing your family with an ooey, gooey chicken Parmesan is sure to bring a big smile of satisfaction to your face. But after a long day at work, the thought of slaving over the stove to crisp up chicken cutlets and then baking the chicken in the oven seems like too much trouble for that smile, especially with the whines from the kids complaining about their immense hunger. So, instead of slaving in the kitchen after work, let your Crock-Pot do most of the cooking for you. That way, dinner is almost ready as soon as you walk in the door.
Total Time: 6 to 7 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 pounds
- 26-ounce jar of tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 16-ounce box of linguine
Directions:
- In a shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
- Dip each chicken cutlet in the beaten egg, and then cover with breadcrumb mixture.
- In a 6- to 8-quart Crock-Pot, pour the jar of tomato sauce.
- Place each breaded chicken breast on top of the sauce.
- Cover the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- After the allotted cooking time, uncover the Crock-Pot and top chicken with cheese. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, heat water to boil. Add linguine and cook as directed on the package.
- With a meat thermometer, check the temperature of the chicken. Fully cooked it should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve the chicken over the cooked linguine.
Tip
If you don't have Italian breadcrumbs, make your own. Mix together plain breadcrumbs with dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, basil and oregano. If you don't have breadcrumbs, you can make them with sliced bread pulverized in the food processor and season as suggested.
If you prefer a crispier chicken Parmesan, don't coat your chicken with breadcrumbs before you place them in the Crock-Pot. Instead, right before you're ready to serve your chicken, heat seasoned breadcrumbs in a medium skillet with oil over medium-high heat until toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then, reconstruct your chicken Parmesan by topping your cooked pasta with the cheesy chicken and covering with the toasted breadcrumbs. This may require a little extra work at the end, but the crispy breadcrumbs make this dish extra special.
References
Writer Bio
Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.