More Cooking Light Meal Planning – Chicken Parmesan

The other day I picked up this month’s issue of Cooking Light.  I thought I needed some new inspiration for some new healthy meals for the hungry boys I’m forced to feed.  I thought this would be great to tag on a series I recently did here on letting Cooking Light plan my meals.  I would pick out a recipe, try it, give it to you guys with an honest critique.  It went over pretty well and I got a lot of good comments and feedback.  What I didn’t remember correctly was that it was back in 2012 that I did that!  How could that be?  I guess it wasn’t actually so recently – what happened to 2013? 

Anyway, last night I whipped up Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti.  I will be honest and confess that I chose this dish mainly because I had all the ingredients! I did have to make a substitue.  The recipe calls for a side of sauteed Broccoli Rabe and I made green beans instead.  This was not because we don’t like broccoli rabe, it would have been much better, but I was far too lazy to make a trip to the store when it was about 12 degrees outside!

Here’s the recipe.  If you are looking it’s on page 114 of the Jan/Feb issue.  

CHICKEN  PARMESAN WITH SPAGHETTI
(I doubled the recipe for our crew)

Ingredients:
      4 ounces uncooked spaghetti 

• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans unsalted petite-diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 2 (8-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• Torn basil leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
3. 3. While pasta cooks, place tomatoes in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and 3/8 teaspoon salt; cook 15 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chopped basil. Toss 1 cup sauce with pasta; keep warm.
4. 4. While sauce cooks, split each chicken breast half horizontally to form 2 cutlets (4 total). Combine flour, garlic powder, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle tops of cutlets with half of flour mixture; pat evenly onto cutlets. Turn cutlets over. Sprinkle with remaining flour mixture; pat onto cutlets. Shake off any excess flour. Place egg in a shallow dish. Combine panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano in another shallow dish. Dip cutlets in egg; dredge in panko mixture.
5. 5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned and done. Place chicken on a baking sheet; top evenly with mozzarella. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
6. 6. Arrange about 1/2 cup pasta mixture on each plate; top each with 1 cutlet and about 3 tablespoons remaining sauce. Sprinkle with torn basil, if desired.

The Third Son came into the kitchen while I was covering the chicken with the Panko mixture and immediately commented on how good it looked.  The First Son said how much he liked this dish and everyone cleaned their plates, so I think that’s testament enough.  

This one is easy, inexpensive, quick and good for a weeknight meal. That’s a win!

Calories:  460; Fat: 14.8; Protein: 38.3; Carb 40.7; Sodium 634 mg  

What are you serving for dinner?  Is it freezing where you are?  How are you keeping warm?  Lots of jumping jacks and squats are a perfect answer, don’t you think?

Stay Warm!