Chicken Parmesan Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 mini buns
for marinara sauce —
• marinara sauce (either make your own with my recipe or use your favorite store brand)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand or a potato masher
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
for chicken —
• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 2 cups panko
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• about 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
To make marinara sauce —
2. In a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat add oil, onions and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 6 – 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to combine and continue cooking over low heat for 15 minutes. Season to taste. Keep warm.
To make chicken —
3. Place chicken on a cutting board and slice lengthwise into 2 thin cutlets. Slice each cutlet into 2 smaller pieces.
4. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet and set aside.
5. In three separate shallow dishes place (1) panko, (2) eggs, and (3) flour, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and a 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Dredge the chicken pieces first in the flour mixture then the eggs and finally the panko. Pan fry the chicken for about 2 – 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through. Remove to cooling rack and sprinkle lightly with salt. Continue frying chicken in batches until all have been cooked.
6. To assemble the sliders, leave chicken on the baking rack on top of the baking sheet and top each piece with about 2 tablespoons each of the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is melted; about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and place in buns. Serve.