When you are seeking comfort, filling dishes I always hear people talking about how much they love this dish. So, I figured it’s time I give it a try. Yes, this is a higher calorie dish, yes this is a higher carbohydrate dish, BUT it is still a WHOLE lot healthier than going out to a restaurant and ordering it. And lets not forget to highlight the protein to carb ratio is still in a really good range, the micronutients are great, almost 1,000mg of potassium, over 100% of calcium and close to 100% of Vit A & C. Have this for dinner tonight and then make tomorrow more of a cardio focused circuit. Enjoy!
Serves: 2 | Serving Size: 1/2 of dish
Ingredients:
- Sauce
- 1 (28oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic gloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar, plus extra as needed
- salt
- Chicken & Spaghetti
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces chicken breasts
- salt & pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 oz whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/4 cup)
- 1 oz fontina cheese, shredded (1/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 4 ounces spaghetti
Directions:
- For the Sauce: Pulse tomatoes in food processor until coarsely chopped, 6 pulses. Cook oil and garlic in saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in pulsed tomatoes, bring to simmer, and cook until sauce has slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and sugar and season with salt. Add extra sugar as needed – cover to keep warm.
- For the Chicken: Adjust oven rack 4 inches from boiler and heat broiler. Spread flour in shallow dish. Beat egg in second shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan in third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in flour, dip in egg, then coat with bread-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.
- Line a plate with paper towels. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until simmering. Lay chicken in skillet and cook until browned on both sides and chicken registers 160-degrees. Drain chicken on the paper towel-lined plate then transfer to rimmed baking sheet.
- Combine mozzarella and fontina cheese in a bowl. Sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over chicken, covering as much as possible. Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving plate, top each breasts with 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce and sprinkle with basil.
- For the Spaghetti: While chicken cooks, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add pasta and 1/2 tablespoon salt, cook, stirring often until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot. Add remaining sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add reserved cooking water as need to adjust consistency.
- Serve chicken with pasta and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Per serving: Calories: 987; Total Fat: 34g; Cholesterol: 147mg; Sodium: 727mg; Total Carbohydrates: 106g; Dietary Fiber: 10g; Sugars: 14g; Protein: 65g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 909mg; Vitamin A: 73%; Vitamin C: 89%; Calcium: 104%; Iron: 14%
Adopted from: America’s Test Kitchen (2014). “Chicken Parmesan.” The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. Boston: America’s Test Kitchen, 2014. 108. Print.
