Tonight’s Dinner: Chicken Parmesan

Italian Food doesn’t have to be spaghetti and meatballs. There are so many wonderful Italian dishes that don’t have pasta anywhere in them. This is one of them.

Chicken Parmesan is one of those dishes that can be rich and heavy or flavorful and light. It all depends on how you cook it and what you pair it with. While it can be deep-fried and laid over a bed of linguini or spaghetti, it’s just as good baked in the oven then eaten on its own with a salad or vegetable. This second option gets you a light, healthy dinner, that still has tons of flavor.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 4 Tbsp mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Place the egg whites in a second bowl. Place the panko and parmesan cheese in a third shallow bowl.
3. Dip the chicken breast in the flour mixture, then the egg whites and finally the panko bread crumbs and cheese. Repeat the process with the second chicken breast.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a heavy oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breaded chicken to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and top each with 2 Tbsp tomato sauce and 2 Tbsp mozzarella cheese. Bake for 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and serve.