Who doesn’t love a good parmiagiana? Savory sauce and ooey gooey cheese over fried chicken cutlets. A calorie calamity? It’s sure got potential. However, this is one of those dishes where a few minor adjustments sacrifices nothing in the way of flavor, but make big differences in the nutrition profile. And that’s great news.
Unfortunately, there is a category of people who probably won’t try this recipe. Namely, those of Italian decent whose dead grandmothers will return from the grave to haunt them if they stray from the “old recipe” handed down for generations.
But that leaves, like, a few billion others who won’t even notice that anything’s been adjusted.
Maybe you’ve got a go-to chicken parm recipe already. Cool. Perhaps you’ll find some time-saving tips here. Like skipping the egg-dip part. And the washing/seeding/chopping of tomatoes part. If you’ve never made chicken parm before, this is your time! Truly, it’s not hard.
Trust me when I tell you it’s easy and delicious. Your family will thank you, like mine did most of mine did some of mine did Oh never mind. I hear that happens in some houses.
Just kidding. My family is just swell about that sort of thing 🙂 Especially when I make this, which I do quite often.
The general steps happening here include the following:
1) Making a quick sauce that doesn’t require washing, seeding, or chopping tomatoes
2) Slicing the chicken breasts horizontally so they are nice and thin. Also that means there is enough for everybody to have their own (so tricky!)
3) Dredging the chicken in a flour/parmesan cheese combo and browning them up in just a wee bit of oil (the Parmesan in the coating makes them so tasty!)
4) Arranging and baking in the oven for a bit to finish it all off.
Go on, get at it. That chicken ain’t gonna prep itself!
Lightened Up Chicken Parmigiana
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
Sauce:
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (or two 15-oz cans diced tomatoes, whirled in the blender)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken:
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablesp0on olive oil
Spray oil
Topping:
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
1) Coat a medium saucepan with spray oil, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute until the onions are softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, and oregano. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
2) While the sauce is simmering, prepare the chicken. Combine the flour and Parmesan cheese together on a plate. Dredge each chicken breast in the mixture, both sides, then shake off any excess. Once finished, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large non-stick skillet coated with spray oil and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken, and cook about 2 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove pan from heat.
3) Prepare an 11×17 baking pan (glass or metal) with spray oil. Arrange the chicken breasts in the bottom. Pour the sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the mozzarella around evenly. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve over pasta, with spaghetti squash, or in a sub roll.
ENJOY!
Yummy. Can’t wait to try this.
Bravo! Let me know how you like it!