simple chicken parmesan

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (quality varies dramatically; i prefer redpack, progresso and muir glen brands)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), halved crosswise
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for passing at the table

Recipe

• in a large saucepan, heat garlic and 2 tbs. oil over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. bring to a simmer; simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. cover and keep warm. (remember, this makes twice the amount of sauce you need, so put aside half for another meal.)
• put chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound, using your fists or a heavy pan, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.
• bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large soup kettle.
• in a pie pan, beat egg until well-blended. in another pie pan, mix bread crumbs and more black pepper. preheat broiler.
• working one cutlet at a time, dip both sides of each in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs. put cutlets on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet (this step helps breading stay put).
• heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet. when oil starts to shimmer, add cutlets and saute until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes total. wash and dry the wire rack and return to cookie sheet. as the cutlets saute, cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.
• transfer cutlets to clean wire rack over cookie sheet. top each with a portion of the cheeses. broil cutlets, 4 to 5 inches from heat source, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.
• drain pasta. put a cutlet and a portion of pasta on each of 4 plates. spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of sauce over part of each cutlet, then sauce the pasta as desired. serve with extra parmesan.