Recipe/Tutorial: Chicken Parmesan Bake (No breading or deep frying)

Hi everyone! Yeah.. it's kind of been months since my last post... I came home from NY to LA and trying to straighten my life out. I get into my dream school, only to realize I can't afford it. I would have never believed money would be the reason to put my dreams at a halt. I was blessed since I was young and my family has always been financially stable, up until about 2 years ago. My father got laid off from work, and everything went downhill from there. Even the ridiculously large mansion sized home we had invested in ended up in nothing, because the of the house market crash here in southern California.

Oh man, this is rather depressing! T~T So as of right now, I'm re-applying to colleges for a transfer. My dream school ended up being not exactly what I'd imagined, and now that I can't afford it, I have to change up my plans a bit. Applications, supplemental items (transcripts from hs/college, statements, essays), and last but definitely not least.. my recorded repertoire. Just the thought of school makes me really nauseous and I can never finish an application LOL. I just stare into the screen and end up having to lay down. HAHA. Things are so stressful at home, and it baffles me to how stupid I was when I was in NY not knowing how bad things were at home--living carelessly sometimes skipping classes (which my parents were breaking their backs to pay for), going out with my friends all the time, going shopping.. it just absolutely disgusts me how childish I was.

Let's just say since May, i've finally become an adult. I thought I was grown up, but boy was I wrong.

----------------------end of babbling-------------------------

Now, onto our newest recipe! :) This recipe is NOT mine, and belong to Chef John from Foodwishes. I've made so many of his recipes and love every single one of them. He's hillarious, and a great cook!

Chicken Parmesan Bake Recipe:
Ingredients:
-2 tbsp Olive Oil
-2 cloves of Garlic, crushed (I used about 2 tsp)
-Hot red pepper flakes
-4-6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
-2-4 cups Marinara sauce (I used Barilla Marinara)
-1/4 cup chopped Basil
-8oz. Mozzarella, shredded
-4oz. Parmesan, grated
-1 package of Garlic Croutons

Alright let's get started! :)


Gather your ingredients!

Take any sort of casserole dish, spread your oil (I used grapeseed), garlic, and red pepper! I added in a little bit of sea salt and black pepper just in case the chicken was going to be bland (since there's no seasoning for it).


Chop up that basil! :) my kitchen smelled divine afterwards.

I used a pre-packaged set of basil and I got much more than I thought..

Save some for later! I love pasta, so I'll use it up quick :P

Take your chicken, and make light knife marks/slices just to help the cooking process a bit... I forgot to let my chicken defrost before I started, so I threw the package into a large mixing bowl of hot water LOL.

Toss it in!

I used 4 breasts.

This one is my absolute favorite simple marinara sauces. Barilla makes the best!

Just pour it over! Chef John only asks for 2 cups, but I used the entire jar--due to the size of the dish/I wanted it covering the chicken.


Throw on your basil...

Your Mozzarella...


And your Parmesan! Chicken Parm isn't Chicken Parm without the Parm! LOL. A lot of people just use Mozzarella..

I didn't use nearly as much as the recipe called for.. I just grated some along the top!

I picked up two packages just in case :P

One package ended up being enough :)

This is to substitute the breading/frying! :) Def a much healthier option.. but I warn you, don't over-do the croutons! I did, and it dried out my dish a bit. Really soaks up the sauce!

And.. a final coating of Mozzarella!

Thow into your oven at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. I just placed it in the middle of the racks.

I took it out after 35 minutes and it looked something like this.


But when I scooped one breast out and cut it, it was still pink inside, so I threw it in for another 10-15 min.

Much better :)

And we're finished! Enjoy :D

Tips:
-Don't over-do on the croutons! It soaks up a lot of the sauce and doesn't contribute much to the "crunchy" factor instead of the deep-frying.
-It doesn't hurt to season the chicken just a tad before putting it in the dish--some garlic powder/cayenne, & salt and pepper would do nice :)
-Me over-doing the garlic was rather nice! It was actually really feint lol.
-Don't go crazy with the Mozzarella on the last top layer--it doesn't melt very well and just becomes that stiff baked dish.

I know i've been gone for so long, and my crazy period of college applications (again) isn't over till Dec. 1st, I will try my best to update :) I really love blogging, and can't believe the support I get from all of you guys. Thankyou all so much! I have a ton of posts ready! I take soooo many pictures everyday--including this one; my Dad fell asleep in my room and asked me to take off his socks, so I put them on Seba :P


Oh, guess what? I've cured my acne. NBD or anything. :P I'll do a big post on that too! (partly why I was away for so long). I also never did a final results post from my lemonade diet.. should get on that..

Happy Hump Day! :D Get through the week y'all!

Love,
Jinna