Chicken is, and always has been, a popular nutritious dish. There are as many ways to prepare a delicious chicken dinner as there are countries with their different recipes and tastes.

Today I am sharing a chicken recipe that my mom used to make for us when we were little. She smiles down on us from heaven today knowing that she did a good job. None of us turned out to be criminals and none of us got involved with the mob. Also, I always assure concerned tourists going to Palermo that the mobsters no longer carry submachine guns. They carry briefcases full of hundred dollar bills and they buy what they want instead of killing people for it.

Where was it? Oh yeah, my mom’s chicken recipe: chicken with mozzarella.

Okay, first go for some boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you have large eaters, you might consider one and a half per person, or maybe even two, and unless you have your own little garden at home, you should pick some fresh basil leaves. (Hey, if it doesn’t have basil, it’s not Italian. What can I say?) And last but not least, a small block of mozzarella cheese. You could get the slices, but that’s not as good as I’ll show you.

Now, on a clean cutting board, place the chicken breasts, smooth side up, and cut several horizontal slits in the top, about a half-inch deep.

Set that oven to about 400º.

You can line a pan with aluminum foil, if not, at least spray it with nonstick spray. Arrange chicken breasts and insert a basil leaf into each open cut, half a slice of fresh tomato (Roma is great, but any tomato will do). Add a thick slice of mozzarella cheese. And as a final touch, sprinkle a thin slice of fresh garlic.

Now lightly brush or drizzle a thin layer of olive oil over the chicken. Some people like what they call Italian seasoning, but I prefer just salt, pepper, a little sugar, and maybe a dash of oregano.

Marsala (pretty much Sicily’s national drink!) goes great with this, but don’t drink the whole bottle because you might burn your chicken.

After about twenty minutes, you should check the chicken. I use one of those little metal skewers that they test cakes with. If it comes out clean, the chicken is done. If not, at that point you can simply turn off the oven and let the chicken sit in for another ten to fifteen minutes.

While this is going on, you can boil any pasta choice: spaghetti, rigatoni, mostaccioli, or maybe some nice elbow macaroni. Kids love that and I bet dad loves it too.

For a nice sauce, toss a handful of lightly minced garlic into a pan with olive oil, and while it’s getting very hot, toss in some sliced ​​onion, celery, and green peppers. Once it looks fairly done, add a little broth or, if it’s not available, use a little beef or chicken broth or tomato powder with a teaspoon of water per cup. Not too much. Just what you think you’ll need for the family.

Once it has boiled for a few minutes, strain, add a can of tomato paste and maybe a can of diced tomatoes and return to a boil for a few minutes.

Served with a green salad and freshly grated Parmesan cheese at the table, you’ll have a great dinner and the family will think you really love them, even if it’s just routine cooking.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Tano

• One to 1-1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts per person

• A pound of Mozzarella cheese

• Two/three fresh Roma tomatoes

• Three/four cloves of fresh garlic

• olive oil

• A quarter pound of fresh basil leaves

2. Pasta

Pasta of choice according to package directions for amounts

3. Sauce

A pint of broth (canned broth, beef, chicken or tomato is fine).

Bring to a boil and add:

• chopped celery

• chopped onion

• Chopped pepper

• finely chopped fresh basil (using leftover chicken stuffing

• a small can of tomato paste

• a can of diced tomatoes

The sauce should be simmered until slightly thickened.