Cajun Chicken

This Cajun chicken was great and an easy fix for a special meal when you have a houseful of guests.
I’ve used both whole peeled tomatoes and fresh romas and no matter how many times I change this up, I still go back to this basic recipe.

Bon Appetit!

Cajun Chicken Parmesan

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons

1 medium onion, chopped
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 bunch basil leaves
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes or fresh roma tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
Salt and black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
Mozzarella cheese
Freshly grated parmesan
1 pound pasta, cooked

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat

When oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the basil and tomatoes, cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, approximately 20 minutes. Then season with sugar, salt and pepper
Lower the heat, cover and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Get the ingredients together for the chicken:

Put the chicken breasts in a zip lock bag and pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet until they are 1/2 inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy.Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a large oven proof skillet.
Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the seasoned flour, then dip them in eggs to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle tomato sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake the chicken for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and serve hot with spaghetti.