Jen's Chicken Pizzaola

Since last night's calzone concoction was so successful, I figured I would make another experimental dish that will efficiently use up all of the superfluous leftovers that I have lurking in my fridge from that dinner. (I love having a reason to use the word "superfluous".) Mashed potatoes and steamed veggies will round out this 'surprise' meal. I hope this recipe turns out as yummy as I am imagining it. Again, keep your fingers crossed for me!

Jen's Chicken Pizzaola

Ingredients:
1/3 cup of canola oil
2 large chicken breasts, pounded flat to 1/4 inch thick
1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1/2 cup of AP flour
2 eggs, beaten
leftover calzone veggie filling
8 pepperoni slices, diced into quarters
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of leftover pesto/ricotta/mascarpone mixture
Parmesan cheese, shredded to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the diced pepperoni pieces to the calzone veggie filling and set aside.

Set up 3 shallow bowls for a breading station: add AP flour to the first bowl, the beaten eggs to the second bowl, and the breadcrumbs to the third bowl. Dip flattened chicken in AP flour first to coat all sides, shaking off any excess flour. Next, dip the floured chicken in the beaten eggs to coat all sides. Last,dip the coated chicken in the breadcrumbs and coat all sides.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute coated chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden browned.

Transfer the cooked chickens onto a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper to taste. Smear ricotta/pesto/mascarpone mixture on the tops of the chicken breasts with a spoon or spatula. Spoon the calzone veggie filling on top of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle the tops of the chicken breasts with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake the chicken in the oven for 5-10 minutes longer, or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top, to taste. Serve and enjoy!



The Result:
This was soooo decadent and delicious! We all loved it. My photo is a little strange; the battery on my SLR died and I had to use my little point and shoot digital. Aside from the shoddy camera work, this chicken was yummy. One chicken breast (once pounded out flat) was huge, and big enough to feed all three of us. The whole breast took up an entire dinner plate, before I cut it into normal portion sizes! We still have a second breast leftover, so we may just eat that for dinner tonight and push back my other menu items. The only downside to this dish was that it was super-filling and I was 'way-beyond-comfortable' stuffed. So stuffed that I almost barfed at my fitness boot camp/bible study afterward. Take it from me, don't eat this dinner and then do an intense workout. Ugh. Anyway, now that you have that mental picture in your mind...this was excellent chicken and I recommend trying it.