Chicken breasts with cheese

Ingredients:

• 4 beaten chicken breast fillets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups flour, with salt and pepper
• 4 large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breading mixture)
• 1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil
• Tomato sauce, see recipe below
• 450 g fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil or parsley leaves, for garnish

Tomato sauce:

• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed with a little salt
• 2 cans (800g each) of canned whole plum tomatoes in their own juice, chopped in a blender
• 1 can (450 g) of canned chopped tomatoes in their own juice
• 1 small jar of tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 1 Cubano chili pepper, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge each breast in flour and shake off any excess. Dip each breast in egg and shake off any excess, then coat both sides in breadcrumbs.
3. Divide the oil between two large skillets and heat them over high heat. Place two chicken breasts in each skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer them to a baking sheet and top each breast with tomato sauce, a few slices of mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Bake the breasts in the oven until the meat is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil or parsley leaves.
4. Tomato sauce:
   
   Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add the tomato puree with its juice, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 cup of water, bay leaf, parsley, and Cubano pepper and bring to a boil. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes.