crock pot

Chicken Parmigiana

Posted by Elaine Smith on
Last weekend was a typical PNW fall day; cool and damp. I wanted to make something for dinner that was warm and had a bit of a wild hair to try something new. I took an inventory of my pantry, freezer and fridge. I found some chicken breasts in the freezer and remembered seeing a few Chicken Parmigiana recipes on Pinterest that sounded good. When I reread them I was missing several ingredients on each recipe so I decided to wing it and see what I could create. The results were amazeballs and I’ll definitely add this to my crockpot rotation!!
I like making my own marinara sauce (see simple recipe below), but this could be made even easier by just using a jar of purchased marinara sauce. My favorite jarred marinara is Rao’s. I used frozen chicken breasts ’cause that’s what I had but fresh ones would allow for the bread crumbs to stick more thoroughly (although I kinda liked them lightly breaded!).
The recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, but most crockpots won’t hold that many. I’ve also found that smaller cuts of chicken breast work better. You can’t go wrong with the amount of breasts used. I also find that most “fresh” chicken breasts are too thick…feel free to pound them down a bit.
Happy Crocking!! I hope you enjoy this original creation!
xoxo
Chicken Parmigana

Serves four | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 6 hours on low (or less depending on your crockpot & thickness of chicken breasts).

4 chicken breasts frozen or fresh
1 jar marinara sauce or homemade sauce (see recipe below)
1 egg
Couple cups of panko crumbs
4 slices of mozzarella
Shredded parmesan

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of your crockpot. Just enough to cover the bottom to prevent the chicken from sticking. Whisk the egg in a pan and place the panko in another pan. I didn’t measure the breadcrumbs, I just put some in the pan and added a bit more if needed. Dredge each breast in the egg and then in the panko and place in bottom of crockpot. Don’t season the chicken due to the seasoning in the breadcrumbs!(Since I used frozen the panko didn’t stick as well as if you use fresh, but I liked the light coverage so I didn’t mind.)

Place a slice of mozzarella on top of each breast and then top each one with a portion of the sauce. You really can’t mess this up, so don’t worry about measurements here :).

About thirty minutes prior to serving, boil enough pasta noodles to match your servings. When you are ready to serve, add a good amount of shredded parmesan on top of each breast. Put the lid back on the crockpot to help the cheese melt.

Serve by places noodles on the plate and one breast on top. Add additional sauce from the crockpot as desired. I like my noodles without much sauce but plate according to your tastes!

That’s it…easy peasy!!!

Homemade MarinaraI came up with this way of making marinara a while back and I just love the flavor and simplicity. I make this ALL THE TIME to put on all kinds of pasta. Super easy and super yummy!

1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 small squeeze of basil paste (or I chop of fresh if I have it…you could use a bit of dry, too)
pinch of salt and a dash of pepper

Place the diced tomatoes and seasonings in food processor. Pulse just a few times so that it’s the consistency of a thick sauce. Add to a bowl and stir in the tomato sauce. That’s it!
(If I just want a fresh tomato taste I leave out the can of sauce and just do the first steps!! For recipes like this where I want it to have more of a sauce consistency and go farther…I add the tomato sauce.

Leave a comment