Chicken Breasts with Fresh Marinara

Simple, yet delicious!

This is the chicken dish I mentioned in my previous post. Lidia Bastianich of Lidia's Italian Table made this simple but delicious chicken dish using her basic marinara sauce. The ingredients are few and simple, but must be fresh and of the best quality, since they are the main flavors in this dish.

Chicken with Fresh Marinara Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used a little less than a slice and cut it into small pieces and spread it on top of each breast)
4 large fresh basil leaves (I chopped mine)
Olive oil
Flour for dredging
Salt & pepper
Fresh marinara sauce (recipe in previous post)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to to cover the bottom. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts and lightly dredge in flour. Shake off excess. Add the chicken to the pan and cook the chicken until light golden brown on the bottom. Holding the chicken with tongs, drain the olive oil out of the pan. Add a bit more fresh olive oil and turn the chicken breasts over and add a basil leaf atop each breast, then top with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Add some fresh marinara sauce to the pan and top each breast with a little sauce as well. Add a few ladle spoons of pasta water to the pan, lower the heat, cover and simmer the chicken for about 20-25 minutes until cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through.

Annie's Note: For a quicker version of this dish, you could use chicken cutlets instead of chicken breasts, just reduce the cooking time!