An Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe Menu For a Busy Night

This is an easy chicken recipe for Chicken Parmesan that is quick enough to cook even on a busy night.

Thirty minutes before dinner put the Chicken Parmesan recipe together and put into the oven. Set your timer for 20 minutes and turn your attention to the vegetables.

I like to serve this with "baked" sweet potatoes. Choose sweet potatoes that are short and fat, rather than the long thin ones. The long sweet potatoes will be more fibrous and tough. Sweet potatoes are easy to "bake" in the microwave. Simply put 1 small sweet potato per person into the microwave and microwave for 8 minutes. Check them after 8 minutes. If they are not soft, cook for a few more minutes until they yield to the touch. Cover with a towel or foil to keep warm until the chicken is ready. To open the potatoes for serving, slice straight down the center long ways. Press down on the potato top, then press inward on the ends. This will open the potato, loosening the potato and giving you room to add butter. Serve with butter or honey butter and cinnamon.

For a salad, I prefer spinach or mixed greens with this. The combination of the Easy Chicken Parmesan, the orange of the baked sweet potato, and the dark green of the spinach salad look attractive on the plate. Wash and dry the loose leaf spinach, toss with the Spinach Salad Dressing. You can garnish this with a little boiled egg slices if desired, but that is not necessary.

Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

One 2 1/2 to 3 pound chicken, cut up, or 3 pounds chicken parts

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1. Place chicken in a 13 X 9 X 2 inch baking dish. Add the water. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and cover well with parmesan cheese

2. Bake in a 475 degree oven for 20 minutes.

3. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 375 degrees and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken pieces are done.

Spinach Salad Dressing

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sweet basil

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Mix all together and serve over spinach or mixed winter greens.

A Healthy Quick Dinner Recipe - Squash Medley

Sometimes we get into a green bean and salad rut, unable to imagine 5 vegetables a day. Studies show that fruits and vegetables are an important part of our diet, with anti-aging properties as well as fighting cancer and heart disease. It is actually easy to find quick and easy vegetable recipes that are tasty and appealing with a little advance planning.

Though called summer squash, fresh yellow squash and zucchini are actually available year round. They are fat free, rich in Vitamin C and very low in calories. In the fight to get more fruits and vegetables on the table, this quick and healthy dinner vegetable recipe is a clear winner.

This Squash Medley is a mixture of zucchini and yellow summer squash. You can use either one alone if you must, but mixing them contributes to the flavors and visual appeal. You want to cook the squash only until barely fork tender, not mushy. Stir in the oregano as you take the squash off the heat. As a variation, my family also likes this with an onion added to the squash and some parmesan cheese thrown in with the oregano, but that's another meal.

Squash Medley

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound zucchini, cut into ½ by 2 inch sticks

1 pound yellow squash, cut into ½ by 2 inch sticks

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh oregano

Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the zucchini, summer squash and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook over medium high heat, stirring until brown and almost tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the oregano.

Serve.