Parmesan Chicken Pieces

To me, the staple of any decent Italian restaurant is their Parmesan Chicken. If it's great, you'll be back next week. If it's horrible, there's just no reason to try anything else they make. My Parmesan Chicken is so good that it will soon find itself a monthly staple in your home. We take the best part, the crisp skin, and multiply it by cutting the chicken into pieces. This also helps the chicken pieces hold more sauce, and cook faster. Good enough to eat on its own, my Parmesan Chicken Pieces are best over pasta with your favorite red sauce. Here goes:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or 2/3 cup if you are using a Microplane zester)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2x2 inches

1 Preheat oven to 450°F.

2 In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.

3 Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top. If you prefer the chicken to be crispier, flip after 10 minutes, and cook on the second side for the remaining 5 minutes.

Serves 4-6.