Easy Baked Parmesan Chicken Recipe

This was one of the first dishes I learned to cook myself when I moved out of my parents' house and went to college.  My mom recommended it because it's simple, tasty, and it reminded me of home.  I still make it now, over a decade later, and it's always a hit with guests.  I hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 teaspoon each of dried oregano & parsley

1/4 teaspoon each of paprika, salt & pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Combine the parmesan, bread crumbs, oregano, parsley, paprika, salt & pepper in a bowl.  Dip the chicken in the melted butter, then coat with the combined dry ingredients.  Place the coated chicken in the baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender.

Two notes:  First, if you'd rather use flavored bread crumbs, you can eliminate the herbs & spices above.  Second, I like to use thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets to maximize the ratio of parmesan coating to chicken.  If you're like me and use thinner chicken, it won't take quite as long to bake.

Enjoy!