Looking for a simple, healthy recipe the whole family will love? Check out this easy Baked Chicken Parmesan recipe!
Made a bit healthier than the traditional fried dish, the chicken fillets are breaded and baked, yet the chicken remains moist and full of great flavor!
Such an easy chicken dinner full of Italian flair, made with marinara, fresh basil, and topped with low-fat mozzarella, served over your favorite pasta noodles or zoodles! In under 30 minutes, you'll have a nutritious and delicious crowd pleasing meal!
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, whisked
1 C finely crushed saltine crackers
1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1, 25 oz. jar marinara sauce, low salt (note: 2 cups will be used for the fillets, the remainder used with the noodles)
1/2 C low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
4-6 oz. spaghetti or fettuccine noodles (can use gluten free), optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut chicken breasts in half so that you have 4 thin fillets.
Place the eggs in a small bowl and whisk together.
Open a sleeve of saltine crackers and place several in a ziplock bag (I use about half the sleeve), seal the bag shut and then crush the crackers to a fine breading using a rolling pin.
In a medium size mixing bowl, add the finely crushed crackers, shredded parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
Next, dip each chicken fillet in the egg and then place in the bread crumbs to coat the fillet well.
Place the coated chicken fillet in a 9x11 baking dish (if using something not non-stick, lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray). Continue this process for each of the fillets.
Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, flipping the fillets halfway through to cook chicken thoroughly.
Once chicken is cooked through (no longer pink in the middle), remove the dish from the oven and use 2 cups of the marinara sauce to coat each fillet, using enough to seep in between each fillet and fill the pan. Next, sprinkle chopped basil a top the whole pan, then sprinkle mozzarella down the center of each fillet.
Place the dish back in the oven to cook an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and begins to slightly golden.
Optional: if pairing with pasta as I did, begin to boil pasta about 10 minutes into baking the chicken (starting just after you flip the fillets). When they're tender, strain to remove all the water and stir in the remaining marinara (1 heaping cup), then set pasta aside. Tip: I like to drain the water and then stir the marinara into the warm pot used to boil the pasta - it warms the mixture nicely!
Remove baking pan from the oven and place one serving of noodles on the center of a plate (about 2 oz.), then place one of the fillets on top, serve and enjoy!
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