Skip to main content

Ridiculously Easy, Lighter Chicken Parm


I apologize for the cheesy basil garnish.... :)
Chicken Parm can be messed up.  It can.

 Ever had a reeeaally thick chicken breast, with a heavy, soggy breading and a thick, chewy covering of cheese?  Yeah....  not my favorite.  We made this version last week, and it was awesome - just the right amount of tender chicken, crisp breading, a taste of cheese and bright sauce in each bite.  This was so light, and we all really enjoyed it.   

Ridiculously Easy, Lighter Chicken Parm

 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half for 4-6 thin cutlets
EVOO to mist or brush onto chicken (you can also melt some butter and brush that on - about 2 tbsp. or so)
your favorite marinara sauce (1-2 c. )
grated parm for garnish if you like - or if you need more cheese, mozzarella or provolone
fresh herbs for garnish if you like, minced

For the breading:
1/2 - 3/4 c. breadcrumbs (make your own, use store-bought, Panko, whatever)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!)
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or mix up your own from the ol' dried spices collection)
couple grinds of pepper
pinch of salt
teeny pinch of cayenne pepper if you like


We like the chicken very thin -maybe 1/2".
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, set aside.  Start boiling some water for your noodles.  Mix up the breading ingredients in a shallow dish.  Grab your chicken, and spritz with a little EVOO on each side.  Then dredge (dip/coat/cover/you get it) in the dry breadcrumb mixture on each side, and place on the foil-lined sheet.  Spritz the breasts again with a little EVOO, then stick the tray in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, then check on your chicken, and flip to brown the other side, or just leave 'em alone. 

Heat up your marinara sauce.  Cook your noodles according to the box, drain, and set aside.  If you like lots of cheese, lay a slice of fresh mozzarella or provolone on top of each chicken piece, and heat until bubbly and golden. When the juices run clear/temp measures safe for poultry, then pull out the chicken, and plate it on a bed of noodles, or without.    Spoon a little sauce over top, garnish with fresh basil or parsley, and you're ready to rock!  Serve over pasta, or skip it if you prefer.

*To prep for a freezer meal, bread the chicken breasts, place them on a shallow disposable foil baking sheet, and wrap with foil.  Include a packet or jar of sauce and some noodles if you like.   The chicken can be thawed in the fridge, and then prepped as directed above. 
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome.  It's a lot of work, but it is awesome.  Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great.  What more can you ask for?  I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef.  You can mix it up, but I really like this combo.  It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish.  The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or...
Read more

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli!  I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME).  If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese  Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and chop...
Read more

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months.  If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them.  But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming.  As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind.   Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes.  Find out if you'r...
Read more