Chicken Parmesan Casserole

It's been a few months since I made this dinner, but I remember that night vividly. It was a Sunday, and right at around 4:30 (when I usually start making dinner), there was a knock at the door. It was a vaccuum saleswoman, and she wanted to come in and clean our floors. I told her that we (obviously) had wood floors, but then she asked to clean our rug. And then, the kicker: "Please, I just have to do one more cleaning today, and then I can go home." Well, then. Okay.

I didn't expect her to take an hour. The entire time, my boys were playing with her equipment and begging to use it and asking her to explain, in great detail, what each piece did. I'm pretty sure she regretted her decision to knock on our door at that point, and I was definitely regretting my decision to let her in. There's nothing like watching a pound of dirt being sucked up from the rug that you JUST VACUUMED to make you feel like a horrible housekeeper.

Thankfully, this horrible housekeeper can still put a delicious dinner on the table. Although it definitely made it to the table later than usual, this casserole was fantastic. It was really simple to prepare and was hearty and filling -- the perfect thing to make me forget all about my dirty rug.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

slightly adapted from Pillsbury

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper

1 3/4 cups marinara sauce

3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 can refrigerated garlic breadsticks

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 375 degeres. In 12x8-inch (2-quart) ceramic or glass baking dish, arrange chicken and season with salt and pepper. Pour marinara sauce over top to coat chicken. Sprinkle with basil and mozzarella cheese.

2. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and Italian seasoning.

3. Separate dough into 8 breadsticks.  Cut each breadstick into 1-inch pieces and dip dough into melted butter mixture. Arrange pieces over mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over dough.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut and cheese melted and bubbly.