Sicilian Chicken Parmesan

My own way of doing this, of course with tips handed down from mom. I'm posting this as a request to Doreen, my cousin-in-law, who raves about my Italian cooking. You can use jarred or your own homemade tomato sauce or mine (Meat(Less) Tomato Sauce - Sicilian Style) but homemade is always better. Some of the measurements are approximate as I never measure anything. You may find you need a bit more or less. Use fresh grated cheese....not that stuff in the green canister you find on the grocery shelves. And use mozzarella cheese that comes in a chunk, not the pre-grated kind. You'll also need a large roasting pan or baking dish, large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer or just slightly overlapping each other.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 8  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1⁄2 cups  seasoned dry bread crumbs (I use Progresso)
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese (or any other hard Italian cheese you prefer) or 1⁄2 cup romano cheese, grated (or any other hard Italian cheese you prefer)
• 2  eggs, beaten
•  olive oil, for frying
• 4  cups tomato sauce (see description above)
• 16  slices parma ham, thinly sliced (optional)
• 16  ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Carefully slice each chicken breast horizontally. Don't worry if they're not perfect or if one half comes out real thin as you slice each one. Believe me, no one will notice.
2. Mix the breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a shallow dish. Have the beaten eggs in another shallow dish.
3. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat.
4. Dip each chicken breast into the egg, allowing excess to drip off, and then into the breadcrumb mixture, covering both sides. Place chicken onto a clean plate. Do this with all the chicken before starting to cook them.
5. Preheat oven to 350F/180°C.
6. Pour about 3-4 tablespoons olive oil into the pan and let it get hot. Fry the chicken about 2-3 minutes each side and transfer to a plate. Add more oil to pan as needed.
7. Ladle the tomato sauce (about 1 cup) into the baking dish to cover the bottom. Put the chicken breasts into the dish in a single layer or slightly overlapping.
8. Layer the parma ham over the chicken at this point, if using.
9. Ladle more tomato sauce (about 1 cup) over the chicken. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella all over the chicken to cover, then sprinkle the 1/4 cup grated parmesan.
10. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese has melted and become slightly golden in color.
11. Serve with pasta,remaining tomato sauce, a crusty loaf of bread and salad.
12. Enjoy!