Chicken Parmesan is one of those comfort foods that can be made lighter or more decadent depending on your preference. I like to strike a happy balance of satisfying a little taste for cheese and breading with a healthy dose of lean chicken and sauce. This Italian classic needs no special introduction, but I will mention that even the pickiest little eaters will give it a try.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 medium pieces of chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (skim) milk
- 1 1/2 cup Panko cread crumbs
- 1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp dry parsley
- 6-8 tbsp marinara sauce (your favorite jar or homemade marinara sauce)
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or 6 slices)
Directions
1. If you are working with thick chicken breast pieces, pound them lightly, as thinner pieces will cook better. I prefer doing this over buying thin sliced chicken, which may burn easily with this recipe.
2. In one bowl, mix panko crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, parsley and salt. In another bowl, mix 1 egg, milk and 1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F.
4. Heat a medium pan and coat lightly with a bit of olive oil or cooking spray. Dip each chicken breast first into the egg mixture, then into the panko-parmesan mixture and place on the pan.
5. Brown chicken lightly on each side, don’t overcook or even cook through, just lightly brown, then turn on the other side and brown it.
6. Spray the baking pan with cooking spray. Place browned chicken on and generously cover with marinara sauce, then sprinkle with mozzarella (or place mozzarella slices, as I did here) and remaining parmesan cheese. You can customize it for your pickiest eaters. My husband does not like too much cheese, so I used just one slice of mozzarella for his chicken. On the other hand, kids get plenty, since cheese is their favorite part.
7. Bake in the 375F oven for 30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti and enjoy!
