Chicken Parmigiana

This chicken dish is adapted from Bill Granger’s Bill’s Basics.  It is a fast, easy, tasty dish – ideal for  a midweek dinner.

I have just made a couple of small additions. It is not a traditional parmigiana as there are no breadcrumbs on the chicken. I liked this idea when I read the recipe as it makes the dish lighter and easier to prepare. I serve this with some rocket and parmesan shavings with balsamic glaze and lots of good white bread. Ok, so maybe it’s not that light after all!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp fresh black pepper
• A dash of balsamic vinegar
• A small bunch of fresh basil leaves
• 2 chicken breasts
• 125g fresh mozzarella roughly torn
• 50g freshly grated parmesan

Method:

• Heat a tbsp. of the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and stir while cooking for a few seconds. Take care as garlic burns easily.
• Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and pepper. Lower the heat.
• Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and basil.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
• Heat the remaining oil in an oven proof dish. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until golden.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the chicken, top with the mozzarella and sprinkle over the parmesan. Drizzle over a little more olive oil.
• Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.