Home Made Comfort Food
Oven baked chicken, home-made marinara sauce, and naturally delicious shredded Parmesan cheese make this recipe one to keep! With no frying involved, this chicken Parmesan will have you amazed that it is under 500 Calories per serving. Add a couple servings of steamed vegetables to make it a favorite meal of the whole family.
Serves 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
3 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
¾ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Basil (or 1 tsp dried basil)
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1.2 lbs Chicken Breast (about 2 med/large breasts)
3 cups Marinara Sauce
14.5 oz Package Barilla Plus Pasta (I like Thin Spaghetti)
½ cup Shredded Mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese
Extra chopped basil for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice chicken breasts into strips about 1 inch think. Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave for about 40 seconds on high (make sure to cover it).
2. Add olive oil to melted butter and stir to combine.
3. Mix bread crumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl and stir to combine. Note that if you want you use Italian seasoned bread crumbs instead of seasoning your own, you sure can!
4. Dip chicken strips in butter/oil mixture and then into bread crumb mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.
5. Bake chicken at 400 F for 20 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
6. Meanwhile, if preparing your own marinara sauce…(or use 3 cups of prepared marinara sauce)
Stir together 2 cups tomato juice, 6 oz tomato sauce, 6 oz tomato paste, ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ Tbsp dried basil, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste in a medium saucepan. Cook on the stove over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Allow it to slightly bubble.
7. Cook pasta according to directions. Here I used the Barilla protein plus pasta which is higher in protein, and less in carbohydrates than the usual pasta because they use legumes to make it!
8. To serve: Place 1/8 of the box of spaghetti on a plate (about 1.5 cups cooked), place baked chicken (about 3 strips) on top of the spaghetti. Add about 1/3 cup marinara sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
Nutrition Information per Serving (including pasta): Total Calories: 440, Total Fat: 15 g, Total Carbohydrates: 44 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 31 g
TIPS
I like to make my marinara sauce ahead of time in a large batch and then freeze it into 3 cup portions for future use.
For busy moms (or busy anybody really), prep the chicken strips earlier in the day, then refrigerate. Then about 20 minutes before dinner time, bake the strips, heat your marinara, and cook your pasta. In about 20 minutes your dinner is ready!
If using a regular style pasta, you can add about 40 Calories per serving and 10 grams of carbohydrate. You will need to take away 1.5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.
If you like this recipe, you will also Love These Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs!
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, divided
- 1 Tbsp Finely chopped fresh Basil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1.2 Lbs. Chicken Breast, about 2 small to medium breasts
- 3 Cups Marinara Sauce
- 14.5 oz Barilla Plus Pasta (I like the Thin Spaghetti)
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice chicken breasts into strips about 1 inch think. Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave for about 40 seconds on high (make sure to cover it).
- Add olive oil to melted butter and stir to combine.
- Mix bread crumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Note, if you want you use Italian seasoned bread crumbs instead of seasoning your own, you sure can!
- Dip chicken strips in butter/oil mixture and then into bread crumb mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Bake chicken at 400 F for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- Meanwhile, if preparing your own marinara sauce…(or use 3 cups of prepared marinara sauce)Stir together 2 cups tomato juice, 6 oz tomato sauce, 6 oz tomato paste, ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ Tbsp dried basil, ½tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste in a medium saucepan. Cook on the stove over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Allow it to slightly bubble.
- Cook pasta according to directions. Here I used the Barilla protein plus pasta which is higher in protein, and less in carbohydrates than the usual pasta because they use legumes to make it!
- To serve: Place 1/8 of the box of spaghetti on a plate (about 1.5 cups cooked), place baked chicken (about 3 strips) on top of the spaghetti. Add about 1/3 cup marinara sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
