Holy Mother of goodness ya'll, this recipe is the absolute tastiest that I've made in quite a while. Having said that, I just had a flashback to my most recent dinner recipes, and this may or may not be the only (newish anyway) recipe that I've made lately...I've been so busy and I already feel as if I wear a lot of hats, but being the awesome multi-hat wearer that I am...at the end of the day "cooker" is just not the hat I choose to don..You feel me? So, anywho...thank goodness for Pinterest, right!? If only I had a personal chef...
Alright, sooo. This is easy. And fabulous. And you may even want to lick your plate clean once you've devoured it.
That wouldn't be very ladylike, but the thought did cross my mind.. :-)
Let's begin with the homemade marinara sauce...It's marinara-licious! I mean you could use marinara in a jar, but come on..you might as well give it a try. Trust me...it's totally worth it!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8ish garlic cloves, pressed or thinly sliced
(I say 8ish cloves because I personally used a whole bulb..I have major garlic probs)
1/4 (ish aka or more) cup fresh basil
2 -28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Heat olive oil in a large pan over low heat.
Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they are golden.
The sight of garlic makes my mouth water.
Have I ever mentioned that I have major garlic probs?
Hello, my name is Carrie and I'm a garlicolic.
I totally just made that up, but it sounds legit, right?
Tear your basil into pieces or strips and toss around with the garlic and olive oil..
I'm staring at this picture and I'm droolin'!
Stir in both cans of crushed tomatoes..Bring to a boil, then add the salt; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 40-45 minutes, then stir in the balsamic vinegar and the pinch of sugar. Cover and leave the sauce on low until ready to serve.
While the sauce is a brewin' you can get started on other part of the recipe..
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise in half..or use 4 cutlets, which is what I did.
3/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
spaghetti (measure how ever much you think you will need)
fresh mozzarella, sliced, or you can use 3/4 shredded mozz
I use Bel Gioioso fresh mozz and let me tell you, it's a game changer!!
Preheat oven to 450. Line your baking sheet or dish with foil, parchment, or a sil mat if you have one. I used foil and lightly spritzed it with olive oil.
In a large pot of boiling water cook your noodles according to the package instructions. I typically use thin spaghetti and I boil the noodles for 8 minutes. Once the noodles are complete, drain well.
In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
One at a time brush the butter on both sides of each chicken breast. I seriously contemplated not using butter. I thought about using olive oil, or even just plain ol' water, but I still ended up using the melted butter. Make it your own, if you so choose...you could even use an egg.
One at a time dredge the chicken breast in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs to the chicken to coat. Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake about 5 more minutes, or until the crust is a golden color and the chicken is cooked through. Then remove from the oven.
Not done just yet!
Spoon a tablespoon (ish) of marinara on each chicken breast, then place one slice of the mozz cheese on top. Place back into the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted on top.
Grab a plate and top your spaghetti with your homemade marinara-licious sauce, then add one of those amazing looking chicken breasts and top with any left over basil you may have.
You guys...it's so good!! Like I want some right now!!
Definitely a keeper in my cookbook, especially the marinara-licious sauce!!
Let me know how it turns out for you...
Enjoy,
Carrie
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