Max's Summer Parmesan Chicken

Summer time is the time for cooking with fresh produce. Also, in the summer you can buy a tomato that really tastes like a tomato. So tonight was the time to use some simple, readily available summer "stuff".
Now I'm really pretty proud of this dinner- it is an original- now it's not like I wasn't heavily influenced by my incredibly large library of recipes (how about that "google it"). But I was in the kitchen while Don was trying to fix my printer to get a recipe- and I just cooked. So here it is.

Of course there is prep- and this time I did my own- Don was working on my computer.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees!

1 pint of cherry tomatoes- halved
1/2 cup of kalamata olives- pitted and halved
2-6 cloves of garlic depending on taste (we tend to go for the more)- crushed
1 cup of chopped basil
1/4 cup of chopped oregano leaves
(By the way- look at all the kitchen "tools" I was able to use in the "prep".)

I really couldn't believe this oregano- like little flowers.

1/4 cup of olive oil- mix with oregano and half of the garlic in a bowl. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Chicken breast-1-2 (2-4 pieces)- pounded to about 1/4 inch thick (I loved this part- talk about a de-stressor- you just pound and pound and pound)
Dip the chicken in the olive oil/oregano/garlic mixture. Then dip in grated Parmesan cheese (the cheese didn't stick well so I dropped enough to cover after I put them on the cookie sheet)

Mix the tomatoes, olives, 1/4 cup of the basil. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Spread the tomato mixture on the other half of the cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes.

Slice the mozzarella cheese.


I boil the water for the pasta at this point- I can always turn it off- and it will be hot to start.

At 10 minutes top the chicken with the mozzarella cheese and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Cook the pasta. I always add olive oil and a bit of salt to the water.


Drain the pasta and mix in the remaining olive oil/oregano/garlic mixture. Salt and Pepper to personal taste.

And then it's done!

And here are the pictures of the final project- dinner.



But of course it was a little bit late- just a little bit!?!