Simple and Delicious Chicken Parmesan

The crispiness of the pan seared Italian-style breading contrasts beautifully with the smooth fresh mozzarella cheese, and the bite of freshly grated Parmesan cheese complements the fresh flavors of the marinara sauce.

Chicken Parmesan. It's the ultimate home-cooked comfort food (for me, at least!) Being such a delicious dish, you would think making chicken Parmesan would be labor/time intensive. Let me tell you this: it isn't! My parents let me attempt making this dish early in my childhood, and I'm glad they did. With a little preparation and planning, chicken Parmesan can go from the pan to the table in around 20 minutes.

Thankfully, the ingredient list for chicken Parmesan isn't lengthy. I like a recipe that I can put together with only a few ingredients. I hope you'll throw together this deliciously simple chicken parmesan for dinner tonight!

Start things off with a plate of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs on one plate and an egg in a bowl (to be mixed with milk for an egg wash!)

Toss that thinly sliced chicken breast into the egg wash.

Raw chicken makes me a little uncomfortable if I think about it for too long. It's tasty when it's done cooking, so let's move on to the next step!

A generous dash of olive oil in a nonstick saute pan (or any kind of pan you have).

Here comes the messy part. Use one hand for dipping the chicken in the egg wash and then into the breadcrumbs. Food Network chef Anne Burrell said it was a good idea. I hear it frees up your other hand to do things with a clean hand--but let's be real, I always have two messy hands. Place them in the pan over medium high heat.

Pan fry each side for a solid 2 minutes each, or until golden brown on the outside and cooked all the way through on the inside.

Ladle on a hearty dose of marinara sauce. Yum.

Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top. Parmesan cheese, too, if you're feeling fancy.

Since the chicken is already cooked, feel free to move these beauties under the broiler to melt the cheese. Or you can place the lid on the pan and melt it on the stove top. Or you can be like me, and simply leave them in a preheated oven and forget about them for 15 minutes. Any cheese melting method works!

And there you have it, friends. Chicken parm - crispy breading on the outside, juicy chicken on the inside, and tons of mozzarella and marinara on top. The crispiness of the pan seared Italian-style breading contrasts beautifully with the smooth fresh mozzarella cheese, and the bite of freshly grated Parmesan cheese complements the fresh flavors of the marinara sauce. Serve with pasta (hooray carbs!) or a salad, depending on your personal preference.

What's your favorite comfort food?