I swear by Ina Garten's 20-minute Parmesan chicken. It's my go-to weeknight dinner that requires only a few ingredients.

The return of the workweek can be a drag, but juicy, pan-fried chicken breasts with a crunchy, cheesy exterior always help.

On Monday nights, you’ll usually find me whipping up a version of Ina Garten’s Parmesan chicken for my toddler and partner.

Luckily, the flavorful dish is incredibly easy to make — and I often already have most of the ingredients in my kitchen.

Don’t be intimidated by the “intermediate level” description in this recipe on the Barefoot Contessa site — it’s not actually difficult to make this dish.

And, all in all, it usually takes me about 20 minutes to get this meal on the table.

Once I’ve got my ingredients set out — chicken breasts, all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, seasoned bread crumbs, eggs, finely grated Parmesan cheese, unsalted butter, and olive oil — I begin my “mise en place.” The French culinary phrase roughly translates to “everything in its place,” and this time-saving step involves preparing and measuring out all ingredients before you begin cooking.

First, the boneless, skinless chicken breasts must be pounded thin until they’re about a ¼-inch thick.

To make this easier and require less elbow grease, I cut them in half vertically before pounding them out.

Since I was in the process of moving, I didn’t have a rolling pin or mallet to pound these thin.

Instead, I simply took a jar of peanut butter, inverted it, and wrapped it in cling wrap — it worked just fine.

I have one plate set up for the grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs; another plate for seasoning and flour; and one bowl for eggs whisked with water.

Garten’s flour blend calls for just salt and pepper, but I always had a pinch or two of sugar to the mixture, too — it’s just how my mom taught me.

The sugar helps balance the flavors out and lends to the browning of the chicken’s crust.

Once my station is set, I put on non-latex gloves and coat both sides of each cutlet with my flour mix, then the egg mix, then the breadcrumb mix.

On days when I’m picking up my child from dance class or day care, I go so far as to prep the dry breading-station ingredients in Tupperware containers the night before.

That way, right before mealtime the following day, all I have to do is open them and pour them onto plates.

Once my chicken breasts are breaded, I preheat my skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil.

To achieve a golden-brown crust, I don’t overcrowd my pan and make sure it’s hot before adding the chicken.

I usually fry one or two cutlets at a time.

I keep my stick of butter and bottle of olive oil close by so I can add more to my pan as I fry.

Roughly 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil per cutlet is enough to cook the exterior and keep the chicken juicy and moist on the inside.

The chicken is thin, and it will only take about two minutes on each side to cook and turn golden brown, so keep a watchful eye as you fry.

Garten’s recipe also includes topping each cutlet with greens tossed with a simple homemade lemon vinaigrette, but I usually skip these steps.

Instead, I simply squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the chicken before eating.

The sweetness and umami from the cheese crust contrasts nicely with the acid from the lemon.

Then, I pair these cutlets with whatever greens I have on hand.

On this night, that was a leftover kale salad I’d made the night before.

Later in the week, I turn my leftovers into great lunches.

Some days, I cut up a cutlet and pack it in my partner’s lunchbox with a light salad or some quinoa.

Other times, I heat up cutlets in my air fryer for five to eight minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then put them on hoagie rolls with marinara sauce and mozzarella.

Ultimately, I love how versatile this meal is for adults and children.

When serving this to my daughter, I even cut the cutlets up into cubes so she thinks she is eating chicken nuggets.

Plus, it’s much lighter and cheaper than many takeout orders, and I like that I can enjoy crispy chicken without busting out the deep fryer.

All in all, this remains my go-to recipe when I want to pull together a weeknight meal that tastes as if it came from a gourmet restaurant — and have tasty leftovers for days.

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