Not just another boring Chicken dish

Chicken, chicken, chicken. I'm ALWAYS looking for a new way to make it. While in my kitchen this evening, I decided I'd get all crazy and try a new recipe for dinner. The original came from http://www.allrecipes.com/ , but I doctored it up a bit. My gamble paid off...the dish turned out FANTASTIC and was better than I expected.

This recipe is a take on Chicken Marsala. Instead of using rice or pasta to go with the chicken and mushrooms, I substituted barley. WHAT? Barley? Who makes that? Yes, I found barley locally and it rocked. I'll post the recipe for the barley next...for those of you who are brave enough to try it.

The recipe is a mix of local items and things that you probably already have in your cabinet (spices!). For the cheese that tops the chicken, I used some Italian blend from the commissary, but feel free to substitute any white Italian cheese that melts(mozzarella, Parmesan, etc).

Not Boring Chicken and Mushrooms
1 pack of chicken breasts ( 3-4)
1 regular sized carton of mushrooms, sliced (use whatever type you can get your hands on)
2 TBsp of butter
1 egg, beaten
breadcrumbs, enough to coat the chicken, about 1/2-1 cup
Italian blend or other Italian cheese, shredded
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. To the beaten egg add salt, pepper, and a shake of garlic powder. If not using seasoned breadcrumbs, add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the those too. In a deep fry pan (one that can go from stove to oven), melt the butter. While the butter melts, dip the chicken breasts into the egg mixture and then the bread crumbs. Brown both sides of the chicken in the pan. Lift chicken up and put mushrooms underneath each piece. Pour 3/4 - 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Top each chicken breast with a sprinkle of cheese. Put pan into oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the inside. Serve chicken, mushrooms, and broth over barley, rice, or pasta.
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If you don't have a pan that goes from stove to oven, you can transfer the chicken over to a 9X13 dish to bake in. I figured, it's one less pan to wash!!

Check out the following post on how to cook the barley.