Chicken Oregano
Chicken Oregano
This recipe is a staple in our house. It requires little planning, comes together in about 45 minutes, and quite frankly is delicious. I like to serve it with a bit of marinara, although it is pretty good all by itself.
- 4 small to medium boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 8 oz of grated melting cheese, provolone, mozzarella, etc
- 4 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove any excess fat from the chicken breasts. Place each breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and using a heavy object, I use a rolling pin, beat the breasts until they are of even thickness.
Place the oil in a sauté pan and heat over medium high heat.
In a bowl whisk the eggs with a little bit of water. In a separate bowl add the bread crumbs. Dip the breasts in the egg first, followed by dipping in the bread crumbs. Make sure the bread crumbs evenly coat the breasts. Place the breasts in the sauté pan and brown evenly on both sides, usually 2 to 3 minutes per side. You are trying to get to a golden brown at this stage. You also may have to cook the breasts in batches if the pan is not large enough. Make sure to add more oil if you do it in batches.
Place the breasts in a roasting pan. Top with the cheese. Then sprinkle the oregano over the top of the cheese. I do not think you can use too much oregano so be generous. Cover the roasting pan with foil and place in the oven. If the breasts are smallish, remove the foil after 15 minutes and cook for another 15 minutes to thoroughly melt the cheese. If the breasts are very large you may want to cook the breasts for 30 minutes first, then remove the foil and cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
For super moist breasts I sometimes put a bit of marinara sauce in the bottom of the roasting pan before adding the breasts. This imparts a nice flavor to the breasts and it also tends to steam the breasts rather than bake them.
I usually serve the finished breasts with a bit or marinara on the side. It seems to go well with the cheesiness. With all the breading and cheese this makes a very large portion. Especially when the breasts are large I often cut the breasts in half after baking.