From the Recipe Box: My Take on Chicken Caprese

{Recipe box shown may be purchased HERE for $98 - currently on back order as today.}

I know I said I was only going to post 3x a week {Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays}, but I figure it wouldn't take me but a second to share this with you all.  Plus, I didn't think any of you would mind!  Especially if you're receiving a really good recipe in the process.

But, first, please allow me to give to a brief back-story on how the recipe came about:

Here's the thing, I am doing my best to steer my family towards a real, whole foods diet and, let me tell you, this isn't an easy thing to do when you live in the south - where we like our tea full of sugar - and you have a husband who is a meat-loving kind of guy {a.k.a. he's not exactly a "health nut" - as in, the more bacon and cheese, the better!}.  Needless to say, I'm taking baby steps, if for no other reason than to keep my sanity.  Right now, I'm just trying to come up with meals that my hubby will find appealing AND fit our budget.  So, I guess you could say this whole thing has been a bit like my His and Hers Decorating Challenge, only with food.

Well, when I did my meal planning for this week, I came across this recipe from "Random Anderson" for Chicken Caprese Sandwiches {via Once-a-Month Mom}...

Obviously we didn't do sandwiches but, I'm telling you, that was the most moist {moistest?} chicken I have ever put in my mouth.  Not even lying.  It was SO good!  So good that I want to share it with all of you.  Only, I'm going to share my version {but inspiration definitely goes to this recipe from "Random Anderson"}.

This recipe made enough for my husband to have two pieces of chicken; my son and I had one piece; and we had another two or three pieces left over.

INGREDIENTS

1 Bag of Chicken Breasts {ours had 6-7 pieces}

Salt

Pepper

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1 cup Shredded Italian Cheese {Your choice; I just used an Italian blend}

2 Tomatoes; chopped {You could slice them instead}

Sliced Mozzarella Cheese {1 slice per chicken breast}

Basil {I used the dried/chopped kind, but you could use fresh leaves instead}

HOW TO

Step #1 - 

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Coat a pan with olive oil to prevent sticking. {The pan should be big enough to fit all of you chicken pieces.  Make sure your chicken is thawed out before you begin.

Step #2 - 

Place two shallow dishes side by side {they should be large enough to fit at least one piece of chicken at a time}.  

In one dish, pour the lighten beaten eggs.  Add salt and pepper {here, I just poured in what I thought was a good amount of salt and pepper - enough to season each piece of chicken as it cooks}.

In the other dish, pour in the bread crumbs and cheese.  Mix until the cheese is evenly distributed.

Step #3 -

One at a time, dip your chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then dredge in the bread crumb/cheese mixture.  Once the chicken is full coated, place it on the pan.

Step #4 - 

Once all of your chicken pieces are on the pan and your oven had reached 350 degrees, place the pan in the oven.  It should take about 45 minutes to cook.

Step #5 -

After the chicken has cooked thoroughly, place a piece of Mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken.  Then, allow the chicken to remain in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Step #6 -

When the cheese is melted, take the chicken out of the oven.  Place a piece {or two} on each plate and top with the chopped/sliced tomatoes.  Then, sprinkle with basil {or use leaves; or skip this step if someone in your family isn't a basil fan}.

NOTE: As you can see from the photo above, I served this dish with Parmesan couscous and Brussels sprouts.  You could make this dish even healthier and less expensive by using whole wheat bread and your own seasonings to make the bread crumbs.  I just bought the bread crumbs already seasoned for convenience sake this time.

Also, please be aware that I am definitely NOT a professional chef, or even a great cook.  This recipe was just easy enough for my novice skills to tackle.  Plus, it was inexpensive, yet healthy enough to qualify for a place on our menu.  And, yes, I will be making this again.

If you decide to make this, please let me know!  I'd love to hear how it turned out, what you served with it, or even how you tweaked it.

Blessings,