• Cook the pasta in salted water according to the al dente directions minus 2 minutes. You want the pasta to be just shy of al-dente.
• Put the drained pasta in a bowl and mix with 24 ounces of marinara sauce and ½ teaspoon of salt and set aside.

Preparing the Chicken

• Cut the chicken breast into cutlets by slicing the chicken in half horizontally. Optional but recommended: Place the chicken pieces in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound the chicken until the thickness is even, about ⅓ inch throughout.
• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel (this part is important because it will help the crust to stick to the chicken).

Dredging and Crisping

• Set up 3 shallow bowls.
• In the first bowl, add ½ cup flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper and mix.
• In the second bowl, add 2 beaten eggs.
• In the third bowl, create the panko mixture by mixing 1 cup of panko, ½ cup grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Take a chicken cutlet and dip it into the flour until all sides are covered, shake off any excess flour.
• Next, dip the floured chicken into the egg until the egg coats both sides. Immediately after the egg, place the chicken into the panko mixture, making sure all sides are coated generously with the panko.
• Repeat the 3 step process until all the chicken is covered and coated with flour, egg and panko.
• In a frying pan, heat ½ cups of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat.
• Once the oil is hot, place the chicken into the oil/butter and pan fry each side until golden, about 3 minutes per side (if the chicken is ⅓ inch, may take longer if it's thicker). *Do not overcook since the chicken will be baked later. Be mindful as the oil may splatter when the chicken is placed into the oil.
• When the chicken is a deep golden brown, place each piece on a paper towel, over a wire rack and sprinkle each piece with a small pinch of salt. Allow the chicken to cool for at least 5 minutes
• Once the chicken has cooled for at least 5 minutes, slice it into strips or bite size pieces.

Assembly

• In a 9x13 dish place half of the pasta evenly over the bottom of the dish. Place half of the chicken pieces over the pasta. Next layer the rest of the pasta and top with the remaining chicken.
• Nestle dollops of ricotta (1 cup total) over the top of the pasta. Finish by sprinkling ½ cup parmesan and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella evenly over the top.

Bake

• Bake covered with foil at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes or until it's heated though and the cheese has melted.
• Optional: Increase the temp to 425 the last 5 minutes for an extra crispy brown top. Broiling also works to get a last minute crispy top of the cheese.
• Finish the dish with some chopped fresh basil.