Let them eat chicken!
Chicken Parmesan (Recipe below)
I’ve had house guests for two weeks now. My mother-in-law, her father and daughter. During their stay, I’ve felt a bit dethroned.
The kitchen is my favorite room in the house. That’s where I am queen – feeling very regal and authoritative over my domain. The tension, of the day is sucked into the oven hood’s fan right along with the fumes rising from the searing ingredients. My scented candles burn to neutralize the smell of spice-laden air.
It sounds contradictory that laboring over a hot stove is relaxing, but it allows me to disconnect momentarily from everything else. It really energizes me to transform raw ingredients into something meaningful and sustaining. Since, my in-laws arrived, I haven’t been sovereign.
My refrigerator and pantry are overrun with excess groceries, when we usually stock only what we need. My mother-in-law has been leaving good intentions on the stove when I get home. But Ramen noodles and rotisserie chicken from Kroger are not my preferred taste palate. Yet, I eat them. My grill pan is out of place. The dishwasher is being used as a drying rack. The anarchy in the kitchen doused my opportunities and willingness to cook.
While trying to be a gracious host, I forfeited order and control. I declined to labor over any dish. If I did cook, the objective was to make something quickly and in large quantity – ultimately sacrificing quality.
Last night, there was a culinary coup. I knighted a standard pot of spaghetti, with some simple and delicious Chicken Parmesan.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts
- Parmesan Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Seasoning Salt
- Season chicken breasts with seasoning salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- In a small bowl, pour enough parmesan to cover breasts individually.
- In a non-stick pan, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Dredge each chicken breast in the parmesan, making sure to cover it entirely with cheese
- Sear in the hot olive oil, let brown and turn
- Once the parmesan has formed a coating, put all chicken in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to cook through
- Remove and serve with pasta and sauce of your choice.
