CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
This is another italian classic, and one of my all time favorites. Kids love it, it's cheap, and while it starts out as a simple base you can easily modify it using various herbs or differing sauces to make it insanely tasty.
1 chicken breast, boneless/skinless, as de-fatted as possible
1/4 c (or thereabout) sauce
shredded provolone and mozarella cheese, to taste
some parmesan and romano cheese (I prefer the vaguely fresh grated stuff for melty yumminess)
italian style bread crumbs (home made is better)
1 egg, beaten
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Take the chicken breast, and flatten it between 2 cutting boards by putting it between them and leaning on it/wiggling it back and forth, hitting it with a rock. it should be pretty thin, and an even thickness throughout. Then, dip the breast in egg, coating the whole shebang thoroughly. Dip it in the bread crumbs, going a bit nuts and making sure to cover the whole thing well.
Drop it in a pre heated (medium/ med high) pan full of about 1/4 inch or so olive oil. Cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. Put it on a baking sheet, and top it with some tomato sauce. A simple marinara will do here, you don't need anything fancy. Then, cover the top of it with a thin layer of mozarella and provolone cheese. Bake for about 7 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on the edges and bubbly. When you take it out, plate it. Sprinkle it with some of the parmesan/romano cheese, and a bit of parsley for color. You can serve this with spaghetti, eat it plain, or toss it on a roll and eat it like a sandwich.
A great side dish is my tomato cream sauce (I posted the variation in my hot sausage tomato cream sauce on how to get a plain one) with chopped garlic and fresh basil, over fettucini or tortellini. That'll make it so the plain tomato sauce isn't coating the entire plate, and there's a variation of flavor while keeping the theme. Steamed brussels sprouts with garlic and dill are a great side to this, as well.