Recipe: A Healthier Version of Chicken Parmigiana

In her senior year of high school, Taylor (Mystic’s daughter), took a home ec class.  Although in this day and age, it’s called Food Nutrition.  A class title which made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it, because given some of the items they were making, “nutrition” wasn’t the first word that came to mind.

But anyway.

A few months ago, she called me to ask if the kids like Chicken Parm.  She had made a new recipe in class and couldn’t wait to share it with them.  Mystic and I planned a movie night and headed out, while she made dinner for the kids.

We came home a few hours later, hoping to score a bite of leftovers.

All.gone.

Disappearing food notwithstanding, the kids loved it.  And my kitchen was still intact.  A success all around.

This past weekend, Taylor watched Nick so Madeline and I could have some one-on-one time.  Knowing how much Nick liked the Chicken Parm, I bought the ingredients so their dinner was taken care of.

Which reminded me … that I hadn’t yet shared the recipe here.  Making another round of it tonight after Madeline’s swimming lessons afforded me the perfect opportunity to get a picture or two, and to finally try it myself.

I love that the chicken, while still breaded, is baked in the oven.  Thereby making it slightly healthier than its normal counterparts.  You don’t miss out on any of the traditional chicken parm flavors, but you can skip some of the guilt.  Start to finish, it takes 20 minutes.  I served it alongside some tortellini, so once I hit the kitchen, I put the pasta water on to boil while I got to work on the chicken.  By the time I put the chicken into the oven, the water was boiling for the pasta.  Pasta cooked while the chicken baked for the last 10 minutes, add a side of fresh cut watermelon, and dinner is served.  Since Madeline had swimming lessons tonight and we didn’t walk in the door until 7:30, a quick but reasonably healthy dinner was very much appreciated.

If you keep some chicken breasts in your freezer, this is a nice and easy, crowd-pleaser sort of meal that you can whip up in a heartbeat.  Or 20 minutes.

July 9, 2012 – Bonus Photo

Hungry for more chicken parm ideas?
This Chicken Parmesan Burger had the kids begging for more.
This non-breaded version of Chicken Parm was quick to table and a thumbs up from everyone.
This 20 minute version from Giada De Laurentiis was the first time Nick had (and loved) Chicken Parm.

McCormick Chicken Parmigiana

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dry plain bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
flour for dredging

Directions:
Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel.  Tenderize and dredge in flour.  Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl.  Dip each chicken breast in beaten egg, then roll in bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.  Place chicken on a lightly greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.  Bake in preheated 375 oven for 10 minutes.  Turn chicken over, bake 10-12 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Lightly coat baking dish with sauce. Spoon tomato sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

4 servings

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