Parmesan Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

I had an interesting experience this week.  I was at Haggen (the local grocery store chain) and looking at the meat section.  If you read my blog (so probably just my mom, hi mom), you know I don't cook meat very often. It can be expensive, it can be messy, so I just don't deal with it.  However, in the meat display case, was a chicken breast coated with parmesan and mozzarella and it looked really good.  Imagine my horror when I cooked it, cut it open, and discovered tomatoes hidden inside, nestled between the cheesy breading and the chicken breast.  Well, I tried to scrape off the offending red stuff, but those sneaky tomatoes still gave me heartburn.

I was disappointed in the Haggen chicken, and I wanted to experience parmesan crusted chicken without the icky, hidden tomatoes.  I had my close friend, Roland, over for dinner last night, and we improvised a recipe.  Man-oh-man, do I wish there were leftovers, but there's not because it was just that delicious.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts

2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
Grated Parmesan
Oregano
Garlic powder
Thyme
Olive Oil
2 eggs

1) Using a meat pounder or rolling pin, pound the chicken breast flat.

2) Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.  Combine the bread crumbs, liberal amounts of parmesan, and oregano, garlic powder, and thyme to taste.  (Add as much or as little as you'd like.  I think Roland added more parmesan every time my back was turned.)

3) Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken (one breast at a time, no need to crowd the pan) and allow to cook until dark golden brown on each side.  Always remember to cut open the chicken to look for pink spots.

In addition to the chicken, I also made some sweet potato fries and a salad.

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

2 small sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan

1) Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges or sticks.  Put the sliced potatoes into a large ziplock bag.

2) Add about a tablespoon of oil, a healthy pinch of salt, and pepper to taste in the bag.  Close the bag and shake to evenly disperse and coat the potatoes.

3) Place the potatoes spaced out a foil lined pan.  Sprinkle parmesan on top.  Place in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, flip the potatoes over and put back in for another 15.

This was an incredibly delicious meal, and I thank Roland for helping me make and eat it!