Lighter Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana or Chicken Parmesan as it’s mostly known, it holds a dear place in my heart. I love this dish. To me this is a real comfort food. Chicken Parmigiana is an Italian dish and you can probably find it in any restaurant you go to as it’s a very popular dish. Usually the chicken is breaded and fried and it’s covered with tomato sauce and cheese.

Here I wanted to make this chicken a little lighter. One way to save on those calories is instead of frying the chicken, I decided to bake it. I first dipped the chicken breast in egg wash, then in a mixture of Panko breadcrumbs with oregano, basil, salt and pepper then baked it in the oven until it was golden brown. You could also cut the calories with the pasta you use, here I used whole grain whole wheat penne, which I must tell you tastes just like the real thing. I also decided to use a lighter mozzarella cheese and a tomato basil sauce. This turned into the perfect chicken parmigiana.

Food is love. I love to eat. This is a favorite. Try it. You’ll thank me.

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Lighter Chicken Parmigiana

5 from 1 vote

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Total: 1 hr 5 mins

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Serves: 4

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 small chicken breasts boneless, skinless
• ▢ 1/2 lb whole grain whole wheat pasta cooked according to package instructions
• ▢ 1 egg whisked
• ▢ 2 cups tomato basil sauce or your favorite tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 tsp dried basil
• ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 cup light mozzarella cheese shredded
• ▢ fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
• Add the Panko breadcrumbs to a bowl and mix it with the dried basil, oregano and salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in the egg wash then into the breadcrumbs mixture. Lightly brush some oil onto a baking dish. Place the chicken in the baking dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
• In another baking dish spoon half the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Place baked chicken pieces over the sauce and spoon remainder of sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake covered with aluminum foil for another 15 minutes or until cheese melts, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden.
• Serve chicken over the cooked penne and garnish with fresh basil.

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Enjoy!