Mariner's Cookbook

Quick and Dirty Chicken Parmesan

Jun 16, 2026

Ingredients:

1. Aldi brand Kirkwood®
   
   
2. Aldi brand Reggano®
   
   
3. Aldi brand Priano®
   
   
4. Aldi brand Happy Harvest®
   
   
5. Aldi brand Happy Farms®. You can substitute their Italian blend or provolone, or even use slices instead of shreds, if you like.
   
   
6. or to taste
   
   
7. optional
   
   

2	ea	Breaded, frozen chicken breast fillets1
4	oz	Angel hair pasta2
16	oz	Marinara sauce2
1	ea	Rosso pesto3, 6.7 oz jar
2	oz	Mushrooms, canned, diced4
¼	cup	Bell pepper, diced, fresh or frozen
2	Tbs	Italian sweet red onion, diced,
		fresh or frozen
½ - ⅔	cup	Mozzarella cheese, shredded5,
½	cup	Parmesan cheese, grated2
4	Tbs	Olive oil (or butter)
1	tsp6	Common salt
1	Tbs6	Generic Italian seasoning mix7

Directions:

Now you may, of course, elect to use other brands and/or sources for the ingredients, even preparing them from scratch if you wish; but be advised that your end product may be different in some degree from my experience.

1. The breaded chicken breasts will likely take longest to prepare, even using labor-saving appliances. Whatever brand you are using, follow the preparation directions on the package. For the Kirkwood brand these are (for baking) preheat the oven to 400℉, and bake 18-20 minutes on each side.

2. While the first side of the chicken breasts are cooking, begin preparing the sauce. add about 2 Tbs of your choice of cooking oil to the skillet and bring to medium heat, then add the diced vegetables (mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion) to the skillet. saute gently until the onion becomes translucent.

3. Add the entire contents of the jar of rosso pesto to the skillet and stir. Rinse and save the jar - you will use it in the next step.

4. The marinara sauce comes in a 23 oz jar. Shake the jar well, then fill the empty pesto jar (from step 3) with marinara sauce, and refrigerate it for use in some future cooking adventure. Pour the remaining marinara sauce (about 16 oz) into the skillet with the vegetables and pesto sauce. Stir well and bring to a low boil. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover.

5. By now, the first side of the chicken breasts may be finished cooking. If not, wait for the clock to expire on them, and when they are ready, turn them over to cook the second side.

6. While cooking the second side of the chicken breasts, prepare the pasta. Add 4 cups water to the 2 quart saucepan and salt to taste. You can also add up to a tablespoon of generic Italian seasoning to the cook water, to help flavor the pasta. Bring the water to a boil, and slowly add the pasta noodles, which will most likely, but only momentarily, stop the boiling. Continue heating, and when the water returns to a full boil cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer.

   Test the noodles frequently for doneness. When you are satisfied that the pasta is done (usually al dente) remove from heat, drain the cook water, and add about 2 Tbs olive oil (or butter) to the noodles. Stir to distribute the oil, and cover to retain the heat still in the noodles.

   At some point during this process, the chicken breasts may be finished cooking. When that happens, remove the chicken from the oven and set aside, covered, to retain warmth.

7. When all components are done cooking, plate the cooked chicken breasts, and cover each breast with with 2 to 3 Tbs of the shredded mozzarella (or Italian blend) cheese. Add about half of the prepared pasta noodles to each plate, and cover the chicken and the noodles with your sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheeses, divided evenly between the plates.