Everybody loves Italian food, but heavy cheeses, decadent sauces and starchy pastas make it an occasional treat. Not anymore! I've lightened up a traditional Chicken Parmesan recipe, added whole grains, and slashed the fat to make this a dinnertime regular.
Healthy Chicken Parmesan- Serves 4
Ingredients
· 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to ½ inch thickness and cut into palm size pieces
· ½ pound whole wheat spaghetti
· 2 jars of your favorite store bought pasta sauce
· 3 egg whites, beaten
· 1½ cups Baked Lentil Chips
· ½ cup Grape Nuts cereal
· 1 tsp salt
· ½ tsp black pepper
· ½ tsp garlic powder
· Low fat, shredded mozzarella cheese
· Shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. In your food processer, pulse the lentil chips, cereal, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until all ingredients take on a breadcrumb texture. Spread the breadcrumbs out in a large, shallow dish. This will be the breading for the chicken.
3. In a large, shallow bowl lightly beat the egg whites. Prepare a cookie sheet by lightly coating it with cooking spray.
4. Take your chicken pieces and first dunk both sides in the egg whites and then coat each side with the breadcrumb mixture. Move the coated pieces to your baking sheet.
5. Lightly spray the tops of all the breaded chicken pieces with additional cooking spray. Place cookie sheet in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked through.
6. While chicken is in the oven, set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta.
7. Prepare a casserole dish by spooning some of the pasta sauce into the bottom of the dish. Use just enough to lightly coat the bottom. Place cooked chicken pieces on top of the sauce. Spoon about ¾ cup of the remaining pasta sauce around and on top of the chicken pieces. Let some of the breaded chicken peek through.
8. Sprinkle each chicken piece lightly with a teaspoon of parmesan cheese. Next, sprinkle each piece with about a tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Place the prepared dish in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
9. While the chicken is in the oven, cook your pasta according to package instructions. This is generally about 7 minutes, so time this to coincide with the last seven minutes your chicken is in the oven.
10. Gently warm through the rest of your pasta sauce. If you’re like me, you might want to jazz up the pasta sauce with some garlic and red pepper flakes lightly sautéed in a teaspoon of olive oil. This step is optional.
11. Plate and serve your chicken. Serve with a heap of pasta and sauce on the side. Round the meal out with a garden salad and a glass of wine. Enjoy!
My cheese got a little too brown when I got distracted by my puppy, but it still tasted exactly like the original. Mmmm, fiberlicious!
