Body Building, Free Meal Plan, High Protein Recipes, Meal Prep Ideas -
Healthy Chicken Parmesan
I promise this doesn’t take more than 20-30 minutes, start to finish. You don’t need a bajillion bowls or pans or ingredients. It’s the kind of meal you crave on a Monday night. It’s crispy, saucy, cheese-topped chicken served over a bed of yummy vegetables aka zoo…. ugh. Can’t say it.
Category
Meal Prep Ideas
Servings
4
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Calories
432
Ingredients
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan
1 tsp dried italian herbs
4 chicken breasts (4 oz each)
1 1/4 cup creamy tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 zucchinnis
Directions
Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the breadcrumbs, panko, and Parmesan in a shallow dish with the Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
Fry: Cut the chicken breasts into a total of four pieces (for example, if there are two breasts, cut each in half – pound them a little thinner and wider if you want) and dredge the chicken in the breadcrumbs so that they stick all over the surface of the chicken. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side. You want the outside to be golden brown – the inside can finish cooking in the oven.
Bake: Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the sauce and place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each piece of chicken. Return to the oven for a few more minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
Finish: While the chicken finishes, cut the zucchini into thin shreds or use a spiralizer to create zucchini noodles. Serve the chicken and sauce over the raw zucchini noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley.
Recipe Note
Also, if you really want the chicken to stay crispy, heat the sauce separately and add it over everything at the end. The chicken loses a little crispy exterior as it bakes in the sauce – I didn’t mind it, but just something to think about if you want the crispy chicken.
Finally, I leave the zucchini noodles raw because otherwise I felt like they got too soggy and watery. When you add the warm chicken and sauce, the noodles will soften but keep just enough crunch to still be appetizing.
Nutrition
Calories 432, Carbs 11.5 grams, Protein 40.3 grams, Fat 18.9 grams