Lazy Chicken Parmesan

Well...if that doesn't make me sound super duper motivated, I don't reckon I know what does!

So after you read this, your job is to recommend a better name for the dish. I would have put in more effort to create a better title, but I was full of Lazy Chicken Parmesan and that's all I could muster up...lazy. So maybe the name is fitting?! Don't answer that...

This dish was born out of my inability (and unwillingness) to force myself to put on my battle gear and face HEB on a Sunday afternoon just two days after military pay day. It gets crazy.

I was planning an entirely different meal for supper when I realized I had no milk. Okay...I had milk...but it had seen its better share of days (about a week and a half ago). YUCK.

I already had the chicken cooking in the crockpot (the only ingredient shared by both meals), so I went cabinet shopping and this was the result:

STEP 1: Cropckpot Chicken:

INGREDIENTS:

- 4-6 chicken breast halves (can still be frozen)

- 3/4 cup of chicken broth

- 1 TBL. Italian Seasoning (I use McCormick's Salt Free Italian Seasoning)

- 1/2 TBL butter

DIRECTIONS:

- Place chicken in the crockpot

- Pour chicken broth over chicken

- Sprinkle in the seasoning

- Cut up the 1/2 TBL butter and just drop in the pieces around the crockpot

- Cook on low for 6-9 hours or high for about 3-5 (time will vary if you have big pieces, if chicken is or is not thawed, etc.)

STEP 2:

Realize that you don't have the other ingredients you need for the meal you had planned to make with this spectacular chicken and frantically rack your brain (and pantry) for Plan B.

STEP 3: Activate Plan B: Chicken parmesan and pasta

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce (you'll have to find your favorite kind that is GF. A LOT of the major brands are, but check websites and labels! I generally use Hill Country Fare (HEB brand) or Classico)

- Shredded mozzarella cheese (you can really use any kind of cheese, and you can also use sliced cheese just as easily).

- Grated parmesan cheese

- Gluten-free pasta (for 2 people I used about 1.5 cups of uncooked pasta)

NOTE: Any sort of GF pasta is just fine for this - whatever shape you want it in. Yes, I know there are proper names, but I categorize by spirally, spaghetti, macaroni, and penne. I am consistently impressed with Schar pastas. For this recipe, I happened to have Shar Multigrain Penne Rigate in the pantry. There are a LOT of good brands out there, so if you've never tried any and aren't sure where to start - shop around! Most GF pasta is made of corn, rice, a few other flours, or a mixture of these. Just take your pick!

DIRECTIONS:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Place cooked chicken breasts in a baking dish

- Cover the chicken with cheese (whether shredded or sliced, and cover with as much cheese as you want)

- Spoon spaghetti sauce over the chicken until it is entirely covered (I used about 3/4 of a jar)

- Sprinkle desired amount of parmesan cheese over the dish

- Cover dish with foil and bake approximately 15 minutes (since chicken is already cooked you just want to melt the cheese and make sure the food is heated through)

- While chicken parmesan is baking, cook pasta according to the package directions

- When both pasta and chicken are done, serve chicken parmesan over pasta

STEP 4:

Thoroughly enjoy how well your quick-change meal turned out.

STEP 5:

Realize that Plan B probably should have been Plan A from the get-go.

STEP 6:

Walk out of the office, look down the stairs to where your husband is sitting in the living room, and yell: "TOOOOOOT! TOOOOOT!" (make sure you use the proper hand gestures like a train conductor/truck driver when you make the noise)

This is you tooting your own horn. Go on...you deserve it.