Lemon Romano Chicken

I am participating in a Recipe Swap hosted by A Taste of Home Cooking, the theme is chicken. I am so excited. I love to receive new recipes on how to amp up chicken. I submitted my Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken and I received this Lemon Romano Chicken. I was really happy to see what recipe I finally ended up with and as it turns out, I had already bookmarked this chicken to make soon.

This chicken was everything I thought it would be and for Ethan, it was more. He was obsessed with this chicken and he absolutely loved it. It crispy and has plenty of melty cheese topped on it. I loved the combination of the Pecorino Romano, mozzarella, and Parmesan. If you can find any of these cheeses fresh and hand-grate them yourself, I highly recommend it. If not, prepackaged with still taste great!

I served this with roasted broccoli and some pasta for Ethan. This is the perfect spring dish, it has lemon zest in the batter for the chicken and then you squeeze a lemon over the chicken before you eat it. Spring & lemons just go together to me, not just lemons, but all citrus. This dinner was a hit for us. This meal had very little prep time and then it baked away, while I was able to prepare the sides. Perfect.
Source: Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon of Flour
3/4 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of Mozzarella, freshly grated, divided
2 tablespoons of Parmesan, freshly grated, divided
2 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano, freshly grated, divided
1 teaspoon of Dried Oregano
Lemon Zest, from 1 lemon
Lemon Wedges, for serving
Basil Leaves, for serving

Directions:
First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Now, season the pounded chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Next, in a bowl, beat the egg and flour together. Set aside. In another bowl, add the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of each cheese, the oregano, lemon zest, and just a pinch of salt and pepper.

Now, one chicken breast at a time, dip into the egg mixture and then the panko/cheese mixture. Press the chicken firmly in the panko/cheese mixture to coat the entire piece. When coated, place in the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining chicken breast.

Place the chicken in the pre-heated oven.

Mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon of each cheese. After the chicken has baked for 15 minutes, top the chicken with this cheese. Cook the chicken for 15 more minutes, or until the chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees, and turn the oven to broil, high, for the last two minutes.

Garnish with lemon slices and basil. Squeeze the lemon on the chicken before eating.


Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife