Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I love chicken. It’s just a fact that has to be accepted. The thing is, I get bored of making and eating the same style of chicken all the time. Back then, it was usually fried drumsticks or baked thighs. I kept hearing about people making ABC crusted chicken and I wanted in! I looked up a few recipes and decided on Parmesan crusted chicken.

Here’s the thing. It was a WHOLE process! I felt like I had an assembly line of flour, egg, bread crumbs, pan (or oven). And it was a whole messy mess on my hands. Understand this is a problem because I use a wheelchair. I used a manual chair at the time which made it even messier! There had to be a better disabledly way. And there is!

What you’ll need:

• 4 pieces – Skinless, Boneless Chicken breast, trimmed
• Seasoning: Use whatever you like
• 1/2 cup – Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup (or more) – Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Bread crumbs (eyeball it)

Here’s what you do:

1. In a small to medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese together. It should be like a paste and you should def be able to taste the cheese more than the mayonnaise. So don’t be afraid to sample your mixture. Add a little black pepper. Set it aside.
2. Grab your chicken. Rinse them off if you haven’t already and pat dry with a paper towel. All clean? Okay, proceed.
3. Season your chicken with your choice of seasoning. I get Italian kitchen vibes with this dish, so I use mostly herbs. I like dried oregano, dried basil, black pepper, a little seasoning salt or adobo. You don’t need much salt/adobo because you have the mayo. Season both sides of the chicken.
4. Place the chicken flat on a baking sheet and spread the mayo/cheese mixture in an even layer across the top of each piece. How thick of a layer? That’s kind of your choice but I like to still see some of the chicken.
5. Grab your bread crumbs. I use Italian-style bread crumbs. Now sprinkle the bread crumbs all over the top of the chicken. You can also just put the bread crumbs on a plate and lay the chicken, mayo-side down, in the crumbs. I prefer to sprinkle it, though, because it’s already in the pan and that’s less mess on my fingers. You want enough of a layer of crumbs that the chicken will have a nice color.

6. Put the chicken in the oven and let it bake. How long will depend on how big and/or thick your chicken is and how much bread crumbs you put over the top. But, generally you want it to be golden brown. Check the center of each piece by cutting into it to make sure it is cooked inside.

Try it with some seasoned rice or roasted vegetables. My fave is roasted sweet potato and broccoli (shown in image)

As always, if you try this recipe out, let me know in the replies. What modifications did you make?