You can't do it every night. You simply cannot make a sauce from scratch every night! That's ok--it doesn't make it any less delicious or appreciated, and tonight is one of those nights.
My daughter (14) plays traveling, competitive soccer. She just came home from a tournament in Sarasota--3 games in a day and a 1/2...she's sunburned and exhausted, plus she has a wicked head cold. It was 105 every day, and she plays outside-mid...which means she's only one of two players who continuously run the length of the field. Consequently, she's always hungry (and cranky...lol), and I like to have something hot and comforting for her when she comes home, so she can eat, take a warm shower, do her homework, fall asleep, and do it all again tomorrow. She's come home soaking wet from the steamy rains of summer and from the frigid windy rainy nights of winter. I'm amazed at her energy and her gracious attitude. She hurt her foot last summer and played for 2 weeks before we found out the top of it was cracked; she cut off the end of her big toe 2 years ago and played with a bandage (and some serious pain meds) the very next week; and she carried on thru a tournament last May, so tired, in the middle of what we later discovered was Mono. Ok, so I'm not winning any mother of the year awards...but even in light of ME...she carries on...lol. She's for sure my hero, and I'm her biggest fan.
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| Why am I her biggest fan?? She's not even left footed... |
She's always happy when she comes home from practice and sees (smells!) Chicken Parmesan. It has no breading, so it's light enough to serve year round. It's so good and filling on it's own, I serve it only with linguini on the side. Make someone happy tonight...their smiles are worth a thousand words and they'll thank you again and again...
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| Reason #2, her specialty...the corner kick |
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4 chicken breasts1 bottle marinara sauce ( I use Rao's)
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| browned, and simmering with tomatoes |
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
parmesan cheese
olive oil
1 lb linguine
kosher salt/fresh ground black pepper/garlic powder
dry, red wine (I use merlot)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle oil in oven-proof skillet over med-high heat. Place chicken breasts in pan, sprinkle liberally with salt/pepper/garlic powder and brown. Turn over, sprinkle other side with spices and brown.
When browned on both sides, turn heat to med low. Add tomatoes (do not drain), and scrape up brown bits in pan. Add a splash of red wine. Add sauce and mix all. Place some sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place in oven.
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| ready to come out of the oven |
NOTE: approx. 15 min before chicken is done, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in colander, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle salt on top. Mix together.
When chicken is ready, take out of oven, add additional seasonings if necessary, and serve immediately with a spicy merlot along side.
(serves 4)
Oh yumm!! I need to make this for company this weekend.. How much more do I need to expand the meal for 6 adult male appetites ... U know kids they eat a ton!!
ReplyDeleteAlter the recipe to read like this: 6 chicken breasts, 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes and 2 bottles sauce, because you will want enough to cover the pasta. The rest is up to you--you should be fine with the mozzarella because after you slice it there's usually some extra, just make sure there's a slice on every chicken breast. Good luck--report back!!
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