Baked Chicken Parmesan

In these chilly temperatures, I’m craving comfort food. However, I don’t want to eat food that isn’t healthful – I just want to eat a warm, hearty meal. This chicken parmesan is baked, instead of being pan fried, and uses olive oil instead of egg to glue the breadcrumbs to the chicken. And did I mention the breadcrumbs are whole wheat? If you have thirty minutes, you have time to make this amazing twist on a traditional comfort dish.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 chicken breasts, approximately 8-10 oz. (I like using thin sliced chicken breasts)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 C marinara sauce (I like Classico Marinara with Plum Tomatoes)

1/3 C whole wheat breadcrumbs, seasoned (or use plain whole wheat breadcrumbs and season them yourself with garlic powder, salt and pepper)

1/3 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 365 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Warm olive oil and minced garlic in small pan over medium heat (approximately 3-4 minutes).

3. Spray casserole dish with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray (light coating)

4. Place breadcrumbs in bowl. Set aside. Place chicken breast in skillet, one piece at a time, and coat both sides with garlic and olive oil (be careful – the pan is hot!!!). Transfer chicken breast to bowl with breadcrumbs and coat. Place chicken breast in casserole dish.

5. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit)

6. Remove chicken from oven. Add sauce and cheese and bake chicken for another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Enjoy!

The Goods: What’s Inside?

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving (1 serving is one chicken breast with half of the ingredients listed above)

Calories 489, Total Fat 25 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 106 mg, Carbohydrate 22 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 45 g, Sodium 962 mg, Calcium 245 mg