Eggplant & Chicken over Noodles

Eggplant Parmesan:
-One medium eggplant peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
Place slices flat on a cookie sheet and salt (I used sea salt).
Place paper towels on top of the eggplant (and in between the layers, I had two layers)
Place one or two heavy books on top of them (make sure they are okay to get damp)
Let set 1 hour. Remove books & wet paper towels. Add new paper towels and stick cookie sheet in fridge w/eggplant on it for 1 hour.

-3 Eggs (mixed up with a fork)
-3 Cups Panko (or some other breading material)
-2 Cups Veg Oil (you could use Canola if you wish)
-1 Jar Tomato Basil Sauce
-2 C Grated Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
-Few Sprinkles of Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Dip Eggplant into egg mixture, coat with panko, and fry in oil until nicely golden brown. Remove from oil and let dry on a paper toweled plate to remove excess oil.

When finished frying eggplant, place one layer into a greased 8x8 glass pan. Top with a small spoonful of sauce, sprinkle with mozz cheese. Add another layer of eggplant, sauce, and mozz cheese. Top with parm cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

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For the Chicken Parmesan, do the same dip/fry as above, but don't layer. I used three skinless boneless chicken breasts and just did one layer in a 9x11 glass dish. I also baked this for 20 min in a 400 degree oven (which is mostly just to melt the cheese and heat the sauce because the chicken should have already cooked in the oil when the panko was browning.)

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Don't forget to cook the noodles while the Chicken or Eggplant is baking! Enjoy the Eggplant or Chicken over the noodles.


**Why did I cook both meals for only a family of two adults and two kids??? Well, lets just say I love my husband. He doesn't like eggplant and for him, I cooked the chicken (and for leftovers for me). As for the kids and I, we LOVED the eggplant parm. Would I cook it again at home? Maybe every once in a great while, but I will definitely order it more at restaurants. Through all this, I have proven to myself and my stubborn children that eggplant is good and has a place on our 'likes' list.**