Pecorino Romano Salad And Chicken!

Pecorino Romano Salad And Chicken!

Susan is back with another recipe:  Pecorino Romano Salad And Chicken!

We have been in a month long whirlwind of activity.  My son and daughter-in-law are heading for a new duty station in Vicenza, Italy and the family has been gathering….laughing….playing….eating….teasing….absorbing each other’s presence…..making as many memories as possible…..snapping photos….and most importantly, loving each other with our whole hearts. 

There has been no tension, other than the knowledge that they will be gone for a few years….the sadness….and the excitement that will bring. 

We all want to travel abroad and visit them but we have to fit it into Army Ranger’s training in Germany and before his deployment to Afghanistan.

Today I am sad.  I have done this before and I can do it again.  I just know how hard it is, even though I will cling to God and He will calm all my fears. 

Create a tasty Rice a Roni salad recipe for a quick and easy side dish.

But, when your children are so far away for so long, there is an aching and a longing for us mommas.  I can just rejoice that it won’t be forever.

Enough of that!  I decided to share a recipe that my son cooked while he was here.  I named it Captain’s Pecorino Romano Chicken. 

This recipe is made with Pecorino Romano cheese, which is made from sheep’s milk and most of it comes from Sardinia, Italy. 

My son also used slices of Mozzarella, rather than grated.  Nice touch!  Since Army Ranger is headed to Italy, I thought this was an appropriate recipe.

CAPTAIN’S PECORINO ROMANO CHICKEN

4 large chicken breasts, pounded a little flatter for even cooking
2 eggs or 1/2 cup Eggbeaters
1/2 cup buttermilk
1.5-2 cups of bread crumbs (GF version, use crushed Corn Chex)
1/2 tsp thyme (dried)
1 tsp basil (dried)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)….the kind that comes in a big chunk
1 cup mozzarella….or 1-2 slices per piece of chicken (so 1/4 cup per piece)
Marinara sauce—maybe 2 tbsp on each piece of chicken plus some for the pasta (I used Classic brand)
Pasta

Pound out the chicken a little.  It doesn’t need to be really thin, just an even thickness. 
Mix the eggs and/or Eggbeaters with the buttermilk and place the chicken in it.
In another bowl, mix the bread crumbs and the spices.  I bought plain bread crumbs. 
After putting the chicken in the eggs, dredge it through the bread crumbs. 
Place in a pan and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. 

These were giant so we cooked them for 40 minutes.

When you only lack about 10 minutes of cooking, take the chicken out, spoon some marinara on top.  Top it with the mozzarella and romano cheese.

Serve it with a beautiful salad that has some of the Pecorino Romano cheese, marinated artichokes and a little fresh mozzarella…..and Asiago Caesar dressing….Yum! If you don’t have a big hunk of mozzarella cheese and you don’t have Pecorino Romano cheese, just use plain grated mozzarella and grated Parmesan. 

Sometimes you just have to punt, right?  But if you shop at Costco, they sell the Romano cheese in a big hunk….and I use it on everything.  Yum!

Cook some pasta on the side and after it is cooked, add a few tbsp of butter, while it is still hot.  Serve it with the chicken and top with a few tbsp of marinara.