4 chicken breasts, pound thinner if they are fat breasts
salt and pepper
Traditional Red Sauce recipe click here
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
fresh basil around 4 leaves chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Salt and pepper chicken breasts both sides.
In a cast iron skillet (do not use a non stick skillet because they don't go in the oven)
add some olive oil, brown chicken breast for 3 minutes each side, remove from pan.
Turn off heat and add in some red sauce to the pan, maybe 1/2 cup.
Add the chicken breasts on top of the red sauce.
Top off the chicken breast with some more red sauce.
Add some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top of chicken and red sauce.
Sprinkle with some fresh basil.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, depending on how thin your chicken was. 30 minutes if it was a bigger piece of chicken.
Then the last 3 minutes turn the broil on and broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
You can eat as is with some cooked vegetables and salad on the side or serve with some pasta.
TRADITIONAL RED SAUCE
Olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick salted butter
5 cans (28 ounce each) San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes (these tomatoes are from Italy, if you use a different brand, it will taste different. Usually found in the Italian section where you find Italian pasta)
3 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup red wine
In a large pot add olive oil to cover the bottom and add onions and garlic. Cook on real low heat until soft. Be careful not to burn the garlic. That is why you cook it on slow. If you tend to cook with the heat high, add onions and cook until soft, then add garlic at the end for 30 seconds.
Burned garlic will ruin your sauce.
Next add butter to melt.
Then add cans of tomato and all the seasonings.
Use an emersion blender and blend up the tomatoes and onion so there isn't anymore chunks.
Add the wine.
Cook in the pot for at least 2 hours or 2 1/2 hours.
Stir every 15 minutes on simmer.
You will see the sauce start to thicken and darken in color.