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Wheat Thins + Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan with Wheat Thins

I mentioned in my last post that my Dad visited last weekend. When I was younger he was a bit of a snacker. I remember one time I was selling cookies for a cheerleading fundraiser and I walked into the living room after I woke up. He had a giant plate of peanut shells resting on the arm of his chair and when he stood up, they all fell and made a huge mess on the floor. When he jumped up to clean, TWO packages of my cheerleading cookies fell out of his sweatshirt pockets. All I could think to say was, “You better pay me for those cookies.” It is still one of the funniest things I can remember and perfectly describes where I got my snacking habit.

I bought some Sun Dried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins for his visit becasue, well, they are so amazing to snack on. I think they may be one of my favorite crackers of all time. When he left, I had quite a few left over and was wondering what I could do with them. I thought about maybe smashing them up and using them as a breading and I figured it would work with chicken parmesan. I’ve never actually made chicken parmesan before, so this was all new to me. But after looking at quite a few recipes online, I came up with my own using all the things I like and the Wheat Thins for the breading.
Chicken Parmesan with Wheat Thin Crust

Wheat Thins Chicken Parmesan Recipe:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs
1 box of Sun Dried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins, crumbled
1 lb. spaghetti
Marniara sauce (see recipe)
Mozarella cheese for topping
Read my full Tomato Basil Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Preparation:

  1. Add the 2 Tbsp. olive oil to a medium saucepan
  2. Add garlic and onions to oil (I pureed my onions in the food processor because I HATE chunks) and sautee until onions are translucent
  3. Stir in basil and oreganoHomemade Marinara Recipe
  4. Add chopped tomatoes and bay leaf and let simmer on low for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionallyHomemade Marinara Sauce
  5. Since I cannot stand chunky sauce, I used an immersion blender to turn mine into a smoother sauce
  6. Pre-heat oven to 450-degrees
  7. Get your water on to boil your pasta before you start any of the chicken prep. The pasta is what threw my timing off when I made this, so just get your water boiling early!
  8. Put your Wheat Thins in a sealed bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into small crumbs. It was helpful if I rolled the bag up and sort of smashed them using the rolling pin and the other crackers. I don’t know why, but it helped ;) Wheat Thins Chicken Parmesan
  9. Get about an inch of olive oil in a oven safe skillet on a burner set to medium heat
  10. Set up an assembly line with your flower (I put mine on a dinner plate), your eggs (I used a shallow Tupperware dish) and your crushed Wheat Thins (also on another dinner plate)Wheat Thins Chicken Parmesan Crust
  11. Coat your first piece of chicken in flour on both sides
  12. Dunk it in the egg on both sides and let excess drip off
  13. Coat your chicken in the Wheat Thin crumbs, set aside and do the rest of the chicken breasts
  14. Place all 4 coated chicken breasts in the hot skillet making sure no pieces are overlappingWheat Thins Chicken Parmesan
  15. Cook for 4 minutes on each sideTomato & Basil Wheat Thins Chicken Parmesan
  16. Spoon marinara over the top of each breast and top with shredded mozzarella cheeseWheat Thins Chicken Parmesan Recipe
  17. Add your spaghetti to the boiling water
  18. Place skillet in 450-degree oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, checking the cheese periodically. I obviously forgot to check mine near the end (because of my stupid timing with the noodles) and it got a little extra brown. It was delicious, but not as pretty as I had hopedWheat Thins Chicken Parmesan
  19. Once your cheese has browned, pull the skillet out of the oven and serve each breast over spaghetti. I added a bit more sauce over the noodles as wellChicken Parmesan with Wheat Thins


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