Mini Chicken Parmesan Cupcakes

Thank you Pinterest and pictures! I saw this one and could not resist making it right away. So simple yet so delicious!!

I made these using a regular size cupcake tin instead of using the mini. Just seemed easier to me. The recipe made 6 big chicken parmesan cupcakes :)

Yes, I should have taken the pictures on a nicer plate, but with a baby, husband, etc. paper plates are just easier right now! I also should have taken pictures of the steps, but the whole thing is pretty straight forward.

Ready to bake!

Ingredients:

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. EVOO

1 Egg

1 lb. ground Chicken breast

1/2 cup diced Red Bell pepper

1/2 cup diced Onion

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. dried Oregano

6 fresh Basil leaves, torn

1 pinch Salt and Pepper

Mozzarella cubes (I used string cheese)

2 cups Marinara sauce

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• In a small bowl, combine the Panko, half the Parmesan cheese and the olive oil. Combine mixture until evenly coated
• In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the chicken, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, remaining Parmesan cheese, basil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands
• Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray
• Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each (I made sure I had some extra mixture leftover)
• Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture
• Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it (This is where I used the extra mixture I set aside to cover the cheese)
• Sprinkle the Panko mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat
• Bake for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the Panko is golden brown
• Let rest 5 minutes before loosening each cupcake from the muffin tin
• In the meantime, warm up your marinara sauce to serve with the chicken cupcakes