Speedbo Recipe Re-run: Baked Parmesan Chicken

This is an anniversary of sorts. Three years ago this month I received a fabulous present from my UPS man - the author copies of my first book. I can't describe the feeling of opening a box of books (Oh, don't you love that fragrant aroma of ink and paper!) and finding your name on the cover of every. single. copy.

"The Prodigal Son Returns" is still available in digital format.Just click on this caption to head over to Amazon.

March is also Speedbo time - a time when a lot of writers attempt to write a novel in a month. Very similar to NaNoWriMo...but in the spring. And you set your own goals. You can read about (and even join!) this year's Speedbo here.

When you get that many writers working as hard as they can to produce the best book that they can...well...sometimes their families suffer. Laundry languishes in the hampers. Library books are always overdue. And meals? Forget it!

That is, unless you pre-plan a few scrumptious, quick dinners that your family will love. :)

In honor of Speedbo 2016, I'm sharing this post from Speedbo 2013. And yes, this dish is on our family menu this week!

 Quick Prep and Good Eating: Baked Parmesan Chicken

Jan here, with a quick, easy meal that most families love....
(forgive the skimpy helping of broccoli on this plate - I was at the end of the line!)

Baked Chicken Parmesan is perfect for Speedbo. It takes about 10 minutes to put it together, stick it in the oven for an hour (rack up some more words for your daily word count), and then spend about 15 minutes at the end of the hour fixing the side dishes and setting the table.

Perfect, right?

So here's the recipe:

Baked Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast for each member of your family

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (or bread crumbs with basil, oregano, garlic and parsley mixed in)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the powdery kind for this dish - not the more expensive fresh)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Step one: melt the butter - Preheat your oven to 350°. Put the butter and olive oil in a 9x13" baking dish, and put it in the oven to let the butter melt while the oven is heating up.

Step two: prepare the chicken - I buy boneless chicken breasts that are HUGE. Too big for one person. So I cut them in half top to bottom, making two nice sized chicken breasts half as thick as the original.

Step three: prepare the crumb mixture - Measure the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic onto a plate and mix with a fork.

Check the oven - is your butter melted?

Step four: with tongs or a fork, coat the chicken on both sides with the butter/olive oil, then dredge in crumbs/cheese mixture, then place in the baking dish.

Step five: bake - cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes more.

And you're done!

If you want to make the prep even quicker, coat the chicken in the butter/olive oil, and then sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the chicken.

This same recipe is also great for chicken nuggets. Just cut the chicken breasts into chunks, put the crumbs in a bag, put your chicken chunks in and shake. Arrange evenly in a greased baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with pasta tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese, your favorite vegetable and a salad.

And for dessert? Ice cream, of course, from your favorite local ice cream parlor. Our fav,Armadillos, just opened for the season last week! The sherbet flavor of the day is Lemon today, but I always get chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone...how can you go wrong with chocolate?