Description
Family-friendly, comforting dish requires no frying, feeds 6 or more generously. Use store-bought or homemade pasta sauce. Can be adjusted down for fewer servings.
Ingredients
- ½ cups Regular Dry Bread Crumbs
- ¼ cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- ¼ cups Finely Shredded Real Parmesan Cheese (not The Kind In The Can)
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
- 1-½ pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 2 cups Water
- 1 jar (24 Oz. Size) Spaghetti Sauce, Or 2 ½ Cups Homemade, Divided
- 4 cups Penne Or Bowtie Pasta
- 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.
Into a gallon size zipper bag, measure bread crumbs, panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Close the bag and shake to mix.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg and milk.
Dump all the chicken chunks into the egg mixture and stir around. Place the chicken in the zipper bag with the seasoning. Close the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
Pour the chicken out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Spray the chicken with olive oil or canola oil spray (aids browning, but minimally) if desired.
Bake for 15–17 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through the baking time. While the chicken bakes, prepare the pasta.
In a large, oven-proof 12-inch skillet, pour the water. Turn the burner to medium high. Stir in all the spaghetti sauce except for ½ cup. Set the ½ cup aside. Stir in the pasta. Cover with lid (use a pizza pan or a double layer of tin foil if you don’t have a lid) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking while chicken bakes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
When chicken is baked, remove from oven and turn the oven off, but keep the door closed to retain the heat. Check the pasta to see if it’s the way you like it. Stir and continue cooking a minute or two more if necessary. Remove from heat.
Heat the remaining ½ cup sauce in the microwave. Arrange the chicken over the pasta and drizzle the remaining ½ cup sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and place in the still-hot oven to melt, 3–4 minutes.
