dad's "holiday inn" chicken parmesan

One of the first recipes I ever learned was when I was 12 or 13 years old. While my mom was the usual cook, my dad taught me to make two things: beautifully fried sunnyside-up eggs and chicken parmesan. He first learned to make chicken parmesan when he worked as a cook at a Holiday Inn back in his hometown in southern Louisiana*, so mind you this recipe has enough servings to feed a high-school basketball team.

This recipe can serve 6-8 people, but to downsize, just reduce the # of chicken breasts. For 3-4 chicken breasts (like in this picture above), I only cooked for 30 minutes, vs. 40-50 minutes with 6-8 chicken breasts.

However, it's still the best chicken parmesan I've ever had -- I try it every time I've seen it on the menu, and nothing compares. I hope you'll like it, too.

* Update: My dad corrected me that he learned this from the woman who led the kitchen at Holiday Inn, but it was her family's recipe that she taught him during their off-time. She had 12 kids but always called my dad her 13th -- you could find his photos hanging alongside her family's in their home. Isn't that an awesome story?? Thank you, Miss Lily Mae Smith, for this wonderful recipe being passed on in our family!

Just because you bake the pasta + chicken in one dish, you don't necessarily need to leave it all in one dish like a casserole. Here's a sample way to plate for nicer presentation!

Ingredients

• chicken, boneless + skinless (6-8 but adjust according to your needs)
• flour and eggs to bread the chicken
• grapeseed oil
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 can of tomato sauce OR 2 jars of spaghetti sauce
• 1 bag of mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 bag of parmesan cheese, shredded
• pasta of your choice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Make a breading mixture using flour and seasoning of your choice - I like rosemary, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Dip your chicken in the flour, then egg, then flour again. You might like the chicken to be in smaller strips, depending on how you plan to plate.

Brown the breaded chicken in a heated, oiled pan - 2 minutes on each side. While frying your chicken, now would be a good time to boil your pasta, then add to the bottom of a baking dish, mixing in the sauce and some cheese. 

Then, add layers of browned chicken on top of the pasta, coating each strip with a thin layer of tomato paste. Between layers of chicken, add cheeses and more tomato sauce. Cover the entire dish completely with tomato sauce, then top with mixed cheese.

Bake covered in foil for 30-40 minutes. If deeply layered, it will be closer to 40-50 minutes.You can use a thermometer to confirm the chicken is cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serve when ready.