Parmesan Chicken Fingers with Tomato Sauce

Grating the parmesan cheese, chopping the tomatoes and finely mincing the onion in a food processor makes fast work of this dish.

Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 T olive oil, or as needed

Wash and pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels. Pound them to flatten, using a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet.

Have the beaten eggs in one dipping bowl and the Parmesan cheese in another.

Dip each chicken breast in the beaten egg; coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roll in the Parmesan cheese.

Preheat a large, heavy skillet. Add the olive oil. Put coated chicken in the heated oil and saute slowly, turning to brown and cook evenly on both sides. Keep temperature on the low side; the parmesan cheese tends to burn fairly easily. Cook half the chicken at one time and keep warm in a 300 degree F oven or use two skillets large enough to cook all of the chicken at the same time. Do not crowd the breasts. Add more oil during cooking, if needed. To get a delicious crisp chicken that is fully cooked, slow and easy is the trick here. You can use an instant-read meat thermomenter to check for doneness -- insert from the side; chicken should register 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat.

Serve with tomato sauce:
1 large onion
8 fresh ripe tomatoes or a large can of san marzano tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced

In a food processor, finely mince the onion.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil gets hot, add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Put the drained tomatoes in the food processor and chop, add to the skillet and reduce the heat. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, or until the sauce thickens a bit.

Makes 2 cups