Skinny Chicken Parmesan

Dear Readers,

One of my all time favorite dishes is chicken parmesan. In the traditional way in which it is made, the dish tends to be loaded with calories as a result of frying and using whole fat cheese. I took this classic dish and gave it my own twist to cut down the calories. I do not want to take out the desired taste of the dish but I did prepare it a different way. Making dishes a bit healthier doesn't mean you have to take out the flavor. It is choosing different ways of preparing it and also by adding fresh ingredients. You will enjoy this recipe and will not even know it was prepared in a healthy way. Enjoy!!



Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients
2 cloves fresh garlic
10 large fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large cans of crushed tomatoes ( I use organic Muir Glen)
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Panko original crumbs
½ cup locatelli grated cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 oz. part skim mozzarella
1 large egg
1 tablespoon of water
6 (4oz) portions of skinless chicken

Preparation
Set the oven at 350 ° to heat while preparing the recipe.Take the garlic cloves and mince into very fine pieces, place into a small bowl and set aside. Clean the basil leaves and cut them into small pieces. Make sure you keep 6 basil leaves untouched for later use. Set aside the chopped basil leaves in another small bowl. In a large ziplock bag, pour in the Italian breadcrumbs, Panko crumbs, and locatelli grated cheese, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper and then set the bag aside. In a second large ziplock bag, pour in beaten eggs, water, and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then set aside. Clean the skinless chicken in cold water and trim off any additional fat and silver skin. Set on paper towels to dry. Make sure the chicken pieces are ¾ inch thick. Cut the block of mozzarella into thin pieces about an 1/8 of an inch. This ends up to 6 pieces (1 oz each).

Instruction for the marinara sauce
In a medium saucepan, turn the heat on low and put in 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic. Cook for 10 seconds and add the crushed tomatoes and salt. Turn the heat on medium-low, add the basil, and then cook the tomato sauce for 15 minutes.


Instructions for the chicken
Take the clean chicken and place into the ziplock bag with the egg mixture. Shake very well until the chicken pieces are well coated. Then take the chicken pieces(make sure remove any extra egg drippings) and place them in the ziplock bag with the breadcrumb mixture. Shake very well until all the pieces are lightly coated. I

Place the breaded chicken pieces on a baking dish that was lightly coated with Pam cooking spray. Cook for 10 minutes and then turn each piece. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Take the baking dish out and add 2 tablespoons of the marinara sauce on each piece. Then place a slice of cheese on top. Place the baking dish in the oven for an additional 10 minutes, When this cooking time concludes you can always place the baking dish under the broiler for 2 minutes to brown the melted cheese. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves and serve.


**Tip Fat Free Cheese will not melt as well as part skim mozzarella. **

** If you follow my exact cooking times..your chicken will end up tender and juicy.. You do not need to fry the chicken ** My method works great and no oil is used to cook the chicken. **