Parmesan Encrusted Chicken

This is one of the few Rachel Ray recipes that I haven't totally revamped. Its such a great way to dress up plain ole boring chicken breasts. The crust is soooo good! The cheese is hard to burn so even a novice cook can whip these up in no time. The tomatoes add a wonderful freshness to the whole thing. I like to serve these with a green salad and some corn on the cob.

Since we are young and dont have much money, we like to buy the frozen chicken breasts in a box. It saves us a ton of money in the long run. If you do decide to buy the fresh chicken breasts, cut them in half before you pound them out. The fresh chicken breasts are usually huge. As for the Parmesan cheese, I like to use the kind in the tub that is sold in the deli. I usually go through an entire tub for four chicken breasts. But if you have fresh parmesan, feel free to shred your own.

Parmesan Encrusted Chicken
3-4 Chicken Breasts
Shredded Parmesan Cheese (1 Tub or about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large hothouse tomato or 2 roma tomatoes
3-4 leaves of Basil - Chopped
Pepper
Olive Oil

Cube the tomatoes and mix with the chopped basil. Set aside.

Put the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and sprinkle with pepper. You don't want to sprinkle the chicken with salt because Parmesan cheese is salty to begin with.

Heat about 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. You want the heat up fairly high or the cheese wont brown, it will just melt. On a piece of foil, spread out the parmesan cheese. Press the chicken into the cheese until it is covered on both sides. I like to pile it on as much as possible. Carefully place in pan and fry for about 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle the tomato mixture over the top. Enjoy!