nom nom: easy chicken parmesan

Some days, you just don't want to turn on the oven. Today was one of those days. The weather was beautiful and as spring is coming, no one wants to turn on the hot oven! Joe and I both got home at around 9:30 PM and had decided to wait to do dinner together. He went to a car show with some friends and I went for a walk with some girlfriends so an easy quick late night dinner was the plan. Easy Chicken Parmesan is just that - quick and easy and ready in 20 minutes.

This version of Chicken Parmesan skips the breading but keeps the cheesy mozzerella. Instead of baking the chicken, it's cooked right in the sauce so that it stays juicy and tender. Topped with mozzerella, you do have to turn on the broiler and get the cheese nice and melty. Simple go-to meal for those late night dinners.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
4 chicken tenders
Olive Oil
Salt-free seasoning (I used 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's)
2 cups of marinara sauce 
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning (or basil)
4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 servings pasta, any kind (I used brown rice penne pasta)

Directions:

1. If you have the time, marinate the chicken tenders in olive oil and salt-free seasoning. 1/2 hour is plenty. Overnight is great. 
2. Get the water boiling for the pasta. 
3. If there is no time to marinate, brush the chicken tenders with olive oil and season with salt-free seasoning.  Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium. Spray with non-stick spray and add chicken. Cook until golden brown but not all the way cooked through - about 6 minutes total. 
4. Remove the chicken from heat and put on a plate. Let the skillet cool down.
5. Return skillet to medium heat. Add marinara sauce to skillet, mix in italian seasoning and parmasan cheese. Put the chicken tenders into the sauce mixture and place lid on top. Cook for 10 minutes. 
6. During this 10 minutes, cook the pasta (the water should be plenty boiling at this point)
7. Once the chicken is cooked through, top each chicken with some sliced fresh mozzerella. Broil until golden brown and bubbly - about 5 minutes. 
8. Serve the chicken over each serving of pasta. Enjoy!