Creative Freestyle Solutions

Chicken Parmesan with Pasta and Marinara Sauce and lots of gooey mozzarella cheese and paired with a delicious Italian White Wine.  Traditionally, we would probably reach for red wine. Merlot is usually the first choice. The Marinara sauce needs a bold wine.  However, I have learned so much about knowing the entire dish and how to pair with the flavors. 

If I was going to smother the bed of pasta in sauce and cover the chicken breast with more sauce, then I would have chosen the Merlot. I had them both available and I chose to use a little sauce on the pasta and focus on the chicken, cheese and pasta flavors. What a success that was.

Most wine experts advise that it is wonderful to know and understand the wine well and the flavors of your dish well. It is perfectly ok to step away from old traditions and try new pairings. When pairing, you may even like 2 different wines according to the season. In the winter months, a Red might be more appealing, as compared to the fresh fruity flavors of a Fine White during summer months. For the most part, it would be to your advantage to try new things.

Chicken Parmesan with Pasta

Ingredients needed:

• Chicken Breast
• Tomato paste
• onion
• garlic
• green pepper
• mushrooms
• Almond Flour
• Angel Hair Pasta
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan
• Olive oil

To Prepare the Sauce:

• 4 cans of tomato paste
• your favorite seasonings or Italian seasoning blend ( like McCormick Italian Herb Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning Mix from Costco)
• Garlic, minced
• pork tips with fat
• one lb. of ground beef
• an onion
• a green pepper, seeded sliced and chopped (Optional)
• 2 cans of sliced mushrooms (optional)

What you’ll need for chicken and coating:

• 2-4-6-8 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless (one per person)
• almond flour
• Olive Oil
• 6-8 eggs

What you’ll need for the topping:

• Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Other Ingredients:

• package of angel hair pasta

• a great red or white wine

How to prepare the Ingredients:

1. First, you’ll start with the sauce: ( I start that the day before and cook down).
2. Add 4 cans of tomato paste and fill can 4 times with water to add to stockpot. (16 cans) – add one lb. of browned ground beef to stockpot. (the sauce has begun)
3. Then brown your small pieces of fatty port tips and add to the sauce
4. Now add all of your seasons or your blend of Italian seasoning
5. throw in a chopped half onion, and or chopped green pepper (optional)
6. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of minced Garlic
7. Let that sauce cook down for several hours and stir frequently on medium heat for the first hour, and then low heat after it has come to a boil once. Start it the next day, a few hours before starting this dish.

(substitute: if you don’t have time to make a homemade sauce, get 3 jars of Great Value brand Garden Chunky and add the above seasonings)

Note: I’ve found that there’s a huge difference between regular and organic tomato sauce. If you are sensitive to tomato sauce, like getting heartburn. It’s best to use organic tomato sauce.

After making your marinara sauce (video coming) the only secret is pork tips with fat for flavoring, then remove them for another dish when the sauce is done. All I want is that sweet flavoring from the fat.

NOW… TO GET THESE CHICKEN BREASTS READY:

First: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a medium-size bowl whip up the 4-6 eggs. set aside
2. Take the fully thawed chicken breasts, prepping them by patting them dry with a paper towel.
3. Place the almond flour in a shallow dish.
4. Start heating a fry pan, with enough olive oil to brown the chicken breasts. Turn on stove to medium-high heat.
5. Carefully place each chicken breast one at a time into the boiling water, cook until they look opaque, remove quickly. (internal heat) (OPTIONAL)

Second:

Then drop into a pan of oil and lightly brown on both sides. almost searing and raising internal heat some more.

Next:

When the breast is browned, remove and place in a glass baking dish (casserole/lasagna dish) that has a thin layer of your sauce on the bottom.

After all, chicken breasts are in the dish… fill in the spaces with your sauce, leaving a little of the top of each breast exposed, not submerged.

Last step before the oven:

Then lay a heavy layer of Mozzarella cheese over the entire dish.

Cover with a top or foil and bake for 30 – 45 minutes @ 350 (all ovens are different… so watch boil ad cheese color)

Prepare your angel air pasta to your liking.

The Chicken Parmesan is ready to serve:

I hope you love this dish as much as we did. I want to give thanks to my mother for teaching me how to make a good sauce and how to prepare chicken breasts. She is the person that encouraged me to take Home Economics in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and learn to love cooking.