Linguine with parmesan crusted chicken

This is a very simple pasta dish that can be made very easily after a hard day's work. All you need is some tomato sauce, chicken breast, bread crumbs, and your favorite pasta. I created this recipe right before I decided to cook dinner for my family. I knew that I wanted to make pasta and I just so happened to have some fresh tomato sauce in the fridge, so I decided to create my own very simple recipe. Because I didn't really pay attention to what I was doing, the measurements may be off so you may have to adjust some things.

This was actually the first time I used parmesan breadcrumbs and pancetta. I never found any use for pancetta before, but now that I've used it, I know that it's something I'm going to use in my pasta dishes often. It's so crispy and just salty enough. In my opinion it's better than bacon because it's much thicker so there's more flavor.

Linguine with parmesan crusted chicken:

makes 4 servings

ingredients:

1 pound linguine

2 cups basic tomato sauce

1 cup chopped pancetta

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 chicken breasts

1 egg

1 1/2 cup parmesan bread crumbs

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directions:

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook linguine until it is al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

In a bowl, beat one egg. In a separate bowl, pour in the breadcrumbs. Cut each chicken breast in half and pound them out slightly. Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, first dip the chicken slices into the beaten egg, then coat the chicken in bread crumbs and cook in the skillet until both sides are brown and crispy (about 5 minutes each side). Cut into slices and set aside.

In another large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, cook the pancetta until it is brown and crisp. Once the pancetta has crisped, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. After about 30 seconds add the tomato sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, just until the sauce is heated through. Toss the cooked linguine with the sauce and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce, about 3 minutes.

To serve, place the pasta in a dish and arrange the chicken slices on top of the pasta.

This dish is wonderfully easy and absolutely delicious. It's surprisingly light and fresh tasting. Feel free to add some diced onion along with the pancetta if you want some more texture since the onion in the sauce becomes quite soft. I served the pasta with "perfect crusty bread" I made the day before. I highly recommend you make this dish if you're not in the mood to slave over the stove. It's absolutely delicious.

Happy Cooking!