Chicken Parmesan Bake

Alright, folks... I'm back with yet another recipe from Pinterest. I know, I know... but I promise I will post something other than a recipe SOON (Ryan has his 2-month check-up with his pediatrician on Monday, so I plan to post an update on that). Anyway, for now, I wanted to share this recipe for Chicken Parmesan Bake. This was another recipe that I was really eager to try, because it looked/sounded so good based on the picture and the ingredients it called for, and it was super quick and easy to throw together. I made it for dinner last night, and it smelled SO good while it was baking in the oven. However, I must say I was a tad bit disappointed when I actually tried it. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad by any means. It just wasn't AS GOOD as I thought it would be (especially after smelling it while it baked for 35 minutes). So, I just couldn't help but feel a bit... bummed, I guess. The good news, though, is that I ate it for lunch this afternoon, and it tastes much better (in my opinion) as leftovers. So anyway, overall, it's another good recipe to have on hand for a quick, easy meal. Below is the recipe I used (as usual, I omitted an ingredient, and I added extra of a few of the ingredients). For the original recipe, click on the link above.


Chicken Parmesan Bake

Ingredients:
2tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depending on size)
1 (23.5oz.) jar Prego Heart Smart Traditional Italian sauce
basil seasoning, to taste
8oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
5oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 (5oz.) packages croutons (I used one bag of Seasoned croutons and one bag of Garlic and Butter croutons)

Preparation/Baking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle olive oil in a 9x13-inch baking dish, and add minced garlic. Mix and spread evenly to coat the bottom of the dish.
Place raw chicken breasts in the dish over the olive oil and garlic.
Spread entire jar of sauce evenly over the chicken breasts.
Sprinkle with basil, to taste.
Sprinkle 4oz. mozzarella cheese and half the Parmesan cheese evenly over sauce.
Spread all croutons evenly over cheese to make a crust layer.
Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.