Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Chicken Parmesan with Pasta

Peach and her sous chef Squirt were in the kitchen today making this wonderful dinner! This dish is quickly becoming a favorite in our home. I hope it will in yours too!

Olive oil cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano, divided
1 jar crushed (organic) tomatoes
1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato paste or (organic) tomato paste
1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs (I just use whole grain bread crumbs)
1 Tbsp reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 (4oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to one inch thickness (we just slice our chicken into 1 inch thick strips)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
8 oz cooked whole-wheat penne (or your favorite pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté three to five minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add one teaspoon oregano and stir to coat. Cook 30 seconds, until oregano is fragrant. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.


Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, remaining teaspoon of oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Mix with a fork to combine. Brush both sides of each chicken breast with mustard. Transfer each breast to bread mixture and turn to coat both sides. Arrange chicken on prepared baking sheet. Coat surface of chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.


Top each chicken breast with two to four tablespoons of tomato sauce and two tablespoons of mozzarella. Return chicken to oven and bake 10 minutes more, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.


Arrange pasta on a serving plate and top with remaining tomato sauce. Serve chicken with pasta on the side, garnishing both with basil.

* Recipe is from The Best of Clean Eating by the editors of Clean Eating Magazine.

1 comment:

Annesta said...

When I start eating meat again I'm going to try this recipe. I love this blog because you have such great recipes!!
happy cooking!
~a