Improvisational Chicken Parmigiana

I didn't really plan my dinner in advance last night. I was driving home on Route 199, thinking about what to make with the chicken breast I knew Sean had thawed for me and I found myself thinking about that greatest of sins: carb-covered, cheese-laden chicken parmigiana.

When I was growing up in rural Appalachia, the biggest treat I could ever have was chicken parmigiana at the Olive Garden an hour-and-a-half away. I ordered it every single time I visited the OG. As a result, I hadn't had it since 2002. 

I decided to challenge myself to make it without a recipe, just purely by improvisation and instincts. I thought about what the dish looked like and realized it's usually pretty flat, so I pulled out my meat mallet and gave the chicken a good beating.

I laid out sheets of wax paper (for easy clean-up) and covered the breast with flour...

Then dredged it in egg...

Then rolled it around a pile of my homemade bread crumbs with parmesan cheese...

Fried it until brown in vegetable oil....

Then covered with sauce and cheese, which I baked at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until the cheese was melted and I felt certain the chicken would be done.

I served it with a small pile of spaghetti, which I quickly realized is way too much food for me. Next time, I'll pair with salad. But the chicken was perfectly cooked, juicy and white. I have one regret and that is forgetting to salt and pepper the breast before I set about flouring it and such.

It tasted similar to OG's, but their breading is a little better than mine, methinks.