Chicken Parmesan
Egg Noodles, Micro Greens
A little after 3 PM today there was a knock on my office door. It was first-grader Myles. He came to thank me for a “really good” dinner last night. He told me he ate “a lot.”
Myles’ dad is my colleague and his wife just had a baby. To help out, we all signed up for days where we fix dinner for their family. We bring the packaged dinner to work in the morning and my colleague takes it home with him at the end of the day. My day was yesterday. I thought of preparing something green for St. Patrick’s Day, but um, Myles and his little brother, a pre-schooler, might not be too impressed.
So I called my sister-in-law, Kristy, to get her recommendation as she and my brother have two boys just about the same ages of Myles and his brother. I told her I was thinking about turkey meatloaf, and she nixed that right away, my nephews would not be impressed with any kind of meat loaf. She recommended Chicken Parmesan.
Upon further consideration, this was a brilliant idea. I would fix all the components separately. Mom and Dad could put it all together and heat it up in the oven as a casserole. Perhaps Myles would like just the chicken, with the melted cheese, cut into strips, like gourmet chicken fingers. And the little one, he could eat noodles with butter? Right? And it turns out, that is how it went down. Myles told me they added more Parmesan cheese too, perfect!
Procedure:
Chicken – Organic chicken breasts were pounded thin, seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted with flour, dipped in egg, coated with a mixture of panko bread crumbs and Parmesan, sautéed in olive oil. Transferred to a platter then topped with a slice of Provolone.
Marinara Sauce – Finely chopped onions and garlic are sautéed in olive oil with red pepper flakes, add a little dried basil and oregano, then crushed peeled tomatoes, simmer for about 30 minutes, salt and pepper to taste.
Noodles – Curly egg noodles cooked al dente.
And Micro Greens – my new favorite garnish.
Congratulations to the new big brother for a second time, Myles, and his family on the arrival of their beautiful new baby! And a big thanks to Kristy for the awesome idea!
How lucky of Myles and his brother to have such a wonderful meal and how great that Myles was so appreciative.
That’s the best when children and adults alike love your dishes. Congrats on an excellent choice to appeal to the whole family:D
How kind of you to do this!
Very nice meal! You are terrific!
Oh, I can see why the kid liked that. Kid food, separated. Noodles and chicken. I’m going to try that panko crusted chicken idea. I’ll try the whole thing. Thanks for the recipe.
Wow, you plating look so professional! I really like the sounding of “Deconstructed Chicken Parmesan”. Sound lie a pro. Did I say that again?
Cheers,
elra
Brilliant, LL!
What a fantastic idea and sweet gesture! I’m sure you thoughtfulness about what to cook was really appreciated by the whole family.
Love it. It is very helpful to get meals after having a baby. Good job! There older boy will remember your yummy meal for years to come.
Chicken Parm my fav can’t wait to try yours looks great.
What a great idea for a delicious meal to take as a gift.
the dish looks so….. tempting!
that is awesome!! it looks so good. cheesy. saucy. and with microgreens! how cute.
That is the perfect dish for everyone.
You are the sweetest LL! Happy Spring to you!
What a great idea, I am sure the new mommy appreciated it.
Chicken Parmesan is the new favorite in my house.
What a treat for the family – and how nice of all of you. Like the idea of trying provolone in place of my usual mozzarella.
What a nice thing to do Lori Lynn. Nice to know that it was enjoyed too. Looks very nice and a great idea for kids too!
Congratulations, and what a great approach to a family dinner – every meal can have a touch of elegance!
That is so sweet of you to help out. It is great to see dishes that you can refrigerate and heat up. It make it easy for midweek craziness. It looks very good. And I like the addition of microgreens.
That is so great Lori Lynn! you are a sweetheart to do that for the new family and how clever you went about it! I used to make this for my kids when they were young and forgot about it, i’ll bet they’d love it now too!
Very kind of you to make dinner and very polite of Myles to personally thank you afterwards.
Chicken Parm is another fave..a good weeknight meal.
My appetite has been opened for pictures. They look delicious. Enjoy.
Nice, and wish I could taste it!
Mmmm, I love chicken parmesan. Glad the kiddos did too!