Baked Ricotta Chicken

Continuing the Cook's Country backlog, this is from the April/May 2017 issue.

Ingredients

• Breadcrumbs:
• 128mL panko breadcrumbs
• 15mL olive oil
• 1mL salt
• 1mL pepper
• Chicken:
• 250mL ricotta cheese
• ~200mL freshly grated parmesan
• 5mL dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 64mL olive oil
• 4 (~250g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and flattened to ~1cm thick
• 384mL premade pasta sauce
• 30mL coarsely chopped fresh basil

Procedure

1. Combine all breadcrumb ingredients in a bowl. Microwave until panko is light golden brown, 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally; set aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat to 425ºF.
3. Process ricotta, parmesan, oregano, 1mL each salt and pepper in food processor until smooth, ~10 seconds.
4. With processor running, slowly add 48mL oil until incorporated. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
5. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 16mL oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook chicken until browned on both sides, ~6 minutes.
6. Evenly spread half the sauce in the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish. Transfer chicken to dish, layering on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over chicken, then top each piece with a quarter of the ricotta mixture.
7. Bake until chicken registers 160ºF internally, ~15 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with basil and serve.