Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

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The other night I found myself with a bowl of defrosted chicken breasts and a night of pouring rain. The plan had been for Max to grill, but with the rain, well, I just couldn’t send him out there. Aside from roasting whole birds or leg of lamb, cooking meat in my oven has not been a culinary skill that I have mastered so I was thrilled when I found one of my old recipes for “Breaded Chicken”. This was something my mom used to make for us all the time. When we came home for a visit we could always count on a container in the fridge for quick meals or even a snack. I don’t know why it’s been off the short list for the past few years, it couldn’t be easier, is kid friendly, and it tastes great! No matter, it’s back in the rotation and I’m thrilled to have a “new” recipe. Here it is: mix equal parts bread crumbs and grated Romano cheese (~1 cup each for 4 chicken breasts) in a wide bowl, pound the chicken breasts until they’re each about ¼ inch thick (I place between 2 pieces of wax paper and use a meat mallet), season with salt & pepper, and then dip in olive oil and let the oil drip off. Dredge the chicken breasts in the breadcrumb mixture and place on a well greased/sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in a 425 degree oven, flip, then bake another 8-10 minutes until done. The chicken should be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. These are so flavorful we just served with a side of veggies. You could also melt some mozzarella cheese on top, place on a bed of pasta and spoon on pasta sauce for a quick “chicken parmesan”. Yum!