Parmesan Chicken

Submitted by Ayse:
I wanted to send in this recipe because it's pretty darn easy to make, and is so delicious. It's not that healthy (what with a stick of butter), and obviously not vegetarian, but it's an awesome comfort food. Also, it makes more than what one person can eat in a sitting so you can use it for a small gathering, or if you make it for just yourself, it lasts a while, and you can just reheat it and have delicious chicken for a while.

This recipe was adapted from this site.

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic, minced ( or a bit of garlic powder, or if you don't like garlic, you don't have to put in any)
• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I like more cheese than bread crumbs, so I put in more like 1 1/4 cup cheese, and a little bit of bread crumbs)
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (it still tastes good if you don't add this)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• A large pinch of Italian seasoning (don't put in too much or the flavor can be overwhelming)
• 2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2x2 inches

Materials Needed:

• bowl for melted butter to dip chicken in
• bowl for dredging the chicken in bread crumbs, cheese, etc...
• a pyrex pan or shallow baking pan for baking the chicken ( the recipe recommends a 9x13 dish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a bowl, combine the minced garlic (if using fresh garlic) with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic powder (if you're not using fresh garlic), Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.
3. Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

Serves 4-6.