I love a good plate of chicken Parmesan as much as the next girl, but it doesn’t get made much in this house because I tend to shy away from recipes that require each person to have a separate slab of somewhat expensive meat. We like meat as much as the next family, but if I were to give each person their own Parmesan, we’d have five chicken breasts used up for a single meal and that, my friends, is too much money for this group to spend for one sitting. So I tend to gravitate towards meals that will allow me to use less meat and get more bang for my buck.

Fast forward to this meal. I was chatting with a friend on the phone about what to have for dinner. I told her my ingredients and she immediately suggested Chicken Parmesan. I told her my issue and she said, “why don’t you just cut it up and make it casserole style?” Brilliant idea. Use less meat but still get my tasty dinner. So that is what I did. And can I say that it was so so so so good. I’m honestly not sure I need to eat it the other way again. Not only did it feed the five of us, but there were two bowls of leftovers for lunches and I only used three chicken breasts instead of five. Yes, yes, you can pat me on the back now. Ok here we go with what you’ll need:

Ingredients Needed:

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 Medium Onion, Diced
3 Chicken Breasts, Diced
1/4 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Small Handful of Fresh Basil
1 tsp of Oregano
1 28 Oz Can of Marinara
10 Oz of Fresh Marinated Mozzarella
1 Tbsp of Butter
3/4 Cup Breadcrumbs
1 tsp Mrs. Dash

Heat up your oil on medium heat and add in the garlic.   Now add in your diced onions and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until they become transparent.

After your onions are cooked, turn your heat down to medium and throw in your chicken and balsamic vinegar. Cook chicken through until juices run clear. Now add in your basil and oregano. I used frozen dorot basil because it’s all I had, but if you have fresh, you’ll cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until it wilts down nicely and looks dark green and beautiful. Here’s what you’ll have so far.

Now add in your marinara and stir it up good. Transfer to your baking dish. On top of the chicken mixture place hunks of your marinated mozzarella to cover the sauce.

Finally assemble the ingredients for your breadcrumbs. To a small bowl add your melted butter, breadcrumbs (I used panko – love it!) and Mrs. Dash.

Mix it together well and sprinkle it over the top of your casserole to cover the cheese well. Throw the whole dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. If your breadcrumbs start to get to brown on the top, simply throw a piece of aluminum foil over the top to keep them from burning. And here’s what it should look like when it’s done.

If that doesn’t make you say Manga, I don’t know what will. Isn’t it tutti bella? Can you imagine having it any other way? I sure can’t. We served it up with gnocchi underneath and had a frugal feast.

Chicken Parmesan a la Frugal

Yield: Serves 6 (approx. 1 cup servings)

Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil, Diced
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Onion, Diced
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Bunch Fresh Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1 28 Oz. Can Marinara
1 Tbsp Butter/span>
3/4 Cup Bread Crumbs (I used Panko)
1 tsp Mrs. Dash

Directions:

Heat up your oil on medium heat and add in the garlic.

Add in your diced onions and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until they become transparent.

Turn your heat down to medium and throw in the chicken and balsamic vinegar. Cook chicken through until juices run clear.

Add in your basil and oregano.

Pour in the marinara and stir it up good. Transfer to your baking dish. On top of the chicken mixture place hunks of marinated mozzarella to cover the sauce.

To a small bowl add your melted butter, breadcrumbs and Mrs. Dash.

Mix together well and sprinkle it over the top of your casserole to cover the cheese well.

Throw the dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. If your breadcrumbs start to get to brown on the top, simply throw a piece of aluminum foil over the top to keep them from burning.

Serve over pasta or gnocchi.