Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan



Photo from Bettycrocker.com

  I had chicken in the freezer, pasta in the pantry, and a crockpot ready for food.  A quick google search yielded this recipe for crockpot Chicken Parmesan.  I remembered to take a couple of pictures, although they are not great.  I really need to get better at the picture taking part of my cooking.






The recipe:
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs (I used seasoned bread crumbs and skipped the Italian seasoning below)
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
1 jar (26 oz) tomato pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (2 oz)
2 2/3 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)

1. Spray 2- to 3-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. In small shallow bowl, beat egg until foamy. In separate shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into egg, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; place in cooker.

3. Spread pasta sauce evenly over chicken.



4.  Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 6 hours.
5.  Sprinkle Italian cheese blend over top. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 10 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Serve chicken with pasta

The Verdict:
Great flavor!!  I loved how simple this was to throw together.  I put it all in the crockpot at night, and then turned it on the next day to cook while I was at work.  This would make a great meal to share with someone as a gift because it is so easy, makes a lot, has good flavor and stores pretty well.  It is also perfect warm, comfort food for cold nights.  I did not add as much sauce as the recipe calls for because I had less chicken, but my husband liked the sauce best so I will make sure I have extra sauce next time.  I also like that it was chicken parmesan flavor without all the heavy breading typically found at restaurants.  Both of my kids ate this meal, although my son liked only the chicken and my daughter liked only the sauce.  I swear I cannot please both of them EVER!

The bottom line - I will make this again for us and will likely make it for a friend who is having a baby this week!