Lately, I’ve been finding myself making the same meals over and over for dinner. As a working mom, time is limited. When I get home after a long day, I want to spend as much time as I can with Liam. So finding quick and easy recipes is a necessity. Brian and I share responsibility of making dinner throughout the week. When it’s my turn, I make my fried rice recipe at least once every other week. But as you all know, I hate eating the same thing all the time. Especially when it makes a lot of leftovers. When I discovered Chrissy Tiegen’s Parmesan chicken recipe, I was so happy because it was easy to make and switched up our routine.
When I thought of Parmesan chicken, my mind immediately went to the breaded chicken with cheese and red sauce on top dish. But this recipe is actually baked chicken with grated Parmesan on top. Can it get any better? Her recipe calls for a combination of spices mixed in oil and then rubbed over chicken breast. You place the chicken breast on a cookie sheet and add a generous–and I mean very generous–coating of Parmesan over the chicken. Bake in the oven for 15 to 17 minutes and that’s it. Sounds too simple? Cause it is. And it’s delicious.
Cooking through cravings and nursing.
The book suggests to pair the chicken with her garlicky sautéed spinach, but I went with my garlic and lemon sautéed spinach instead. I felt that pairing her spinach with the chicken would be too rich and little extra. So I wanted to cut through that with the acid from the lemon. The combination was worked perfectly.
The recipe calls for all of our kitchen stables: olive oil, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. I kid you not, we only ran to store to get the chicken and spinach. Whenever we are in a time crunch, this is the dish to make. Occasionally, I’ll make mashed potatoes as a side and it goes perfectly with the chicken and spinach. I’m still nursing, so the added calories are needed.
Chrissy’s first cookbook will always hold a special place in my heart. While still on the fence about how I feel about her second book, I can’t deny we found some gems. I am excited to continue cooking these recipes, but I’m moving a little slower than before. I think I will pick up the pace a little more, once I stop making our son’s gourmet bougie baby food. Mmm sweet and sour tofu sticks.
I recommend trying this recipe for an easy night of cooking and I hope you enjoy it as much we have!
