Chicken Parmesan with homemade Marinara

A couple weeks ago I was at Kellis new fabulous home in the Hollywood Hills and my best friend from NYC came to visit. I saw cans and cans of tomatoes and tomato juice in Kellis pantry so I decided to make some marinara sauce for her to freeze. And what goes better with homemade marinara than chicken parmesan! Here is the recipe and like I said you can make a big batch of this marinara and freeze it in containers.

Marinara
yields about 12 cups
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 (32 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (32 oz) cans tomato juice
2 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (14.5 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves

Method of prep
1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium high flame. Add the onions, celery and carrots and saute about 5 minutes. Add the garlic salt and pepper and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered on low for about 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf season the sauce with more salt and pepper if need be. Let cool and transfer to tupperware or use for the night.

Chicken Parmesan
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
4 skinless chicken breasts cutlets
2 eggls, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
fresh parmesan cheese
1 pound spaghetti
3-4 cup homemade marinara sauce
salt and pepper

Method of prep
1. In a wide bowl combine the eggs and water and beat. Put the bread crumbs on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium high flame in a large skillet. Dip the chicken in the egg wash to coat letting the excess drip off then dredge in the bread crumbs. Press firmly so the bread crumbs stick to the chicken. When the oil is hot add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.
3. Lade the marinara sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (Or if your like my mom who hates parmesan, you can also use mozzarella cheese). Bake the chicken parmesan for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with hot spaghetti and the rest of the marinara.

Chefs note
For a quicker way to make this you can also use store bought pasta sauce, but I warn you it will not be as good as this. You can also use chicken tenders for smaller portions. - Tara