Baked Parmesan Chicken

Hey all you Pinktastic people out there!  I have been dying to share this recipe for a long time and now I have the perfect outlet on which to share!  I made this tonight for dinner and I can't even begin to describe the aromas that fill the air when this is baking!  It is truly a wonderful smell!  I am sure you have eaten Parmesan Chicken in several variations depending on where you are eating it, but this one is simple to make and tastes like you spent all day on it.  It requires very few ingredients, many of which you probably already have on hand.  Let's get to it!

Baked Parmesan Chicken
You Need:
*2 cups parmesan cheese (shaken from a container, not fresh parmesan)
*1 tablespoon (or more to your liking) of Italian seasoning
*1 teaspoon (or more to your liking) of garlic powder
*3 large boneless chicken breasts (I use Tyson brand and slice them in half to make 6 breasts)
*a little crisco to grease bottom of casserole dish
*Spaghetti sauce (optional....you can put as much or as little as you like on each piece)
*1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

Directions:
*In a shallow dish mix the parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder together. 
*Pour about a Tablespoon of Crisco into the casserole dish and place in oven while the oven preheats to 425 degrees.

*Slice chicken into smaller breasts and wedge and cover in the parmesan mixture turning over to coat.  Pull out hot casserole dish and place each piece in it.  After I place the chicken pieces into the dish I always sprinkle just a bit more parmesan mixture on each piece of chicken.

* When your oven is at 425, place the dish on middle rack in oven to bake for 45 minutes or less depending on how thick your chicken pieces are.  When I use Tyson, even after cutting them in half, they are still pretty thick.  I also want to make sure the crust is brown and crisp.

*Pull it out of the oven and adjust your oven settings from baking to high broil.  Top each piece of chicken with spaghetti sauce.  (I usually put 2 tablespoons of sauce on each piece).  Then sprinkle with cheese.

*Place under the broiler till cheese is completely melted and beginning to brown.  Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with noodles and garlic bread with a side salad!  Yummy!

Well, I hope you all enjoy this wonderful yet simple recipe!  My husband loves this dish and has ever since I first made it.  I am telling you, the aroma alone is worth making it!

I am hoping to be able to share this dish with my "lunchpooling" friend tomorrow, but they are calling for accumulating ice possibly tonight.  I may be enjoying this by myself tomorrow if we have a snow day!  Santa never came to get that stupid Snow Machine!
Enjoy y'all!