I absolutely love Giada DeLaurentis’ new way of cooking…she does an amazing job at balancing those comforting Italian flavors with a clean, delicate and healthy touch. I found this light chicken parmesan recipe from her new cookbook Happy Cooking and it’s now a favorite of mine. The addition of fresh herbs in this recipe really makes it stand out. I modified a bit to lighten up some areas more. I paired it with roasted veggies that you often find in Italian cooking, tossed in a wonderfully bright basil vinaigrette.
-Mel
Health tips: Low fat, low carb, heart healthy, diabetes friendly, anti inflammatory
Chicken Parmesan Ingredients (4 servings)
- 4 thin chicken cutlets (Take 2 large chicken breasts and butterfly slice horizontally through the middle OR cut in half and pound.)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
- About 1 1/2 cups marinara or pasta sauce (Depends how much sauce you like; Your choice of sauce flavor, but I like the meat flavor for more of a rich flavor.) You can also make our recipe at home: https://familyapron.com/2016/01/21/zucchini-lasagna/
- 1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
- 8 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil, cut in short strips, for garnish
Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini with Basil Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 smaller eggplants
- 2 small zucchinis
- Extra-virgin olive oil (1/4 cup needed for dressing)
- Salt (1/4 teaspoon needed for dressing)
- Pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- Fresh thinly sliced red pepper and/or cherry tomatoes cut in half
Steps
Roasted Eggplant Zucchini (Get this prepared before the chicken as it can be set aside and cooled.)
- Turn broiler to high.
- Wash and trim the ends off zucchini and eggplant. Slice lengthwise, about 1/4″ width. Lay slices in one layer on a large baking sheet.
- Sprinkle a few pinches of salt over eggplant only, and rub in. Let sit 5-10 minutes, then gently squeeze extra water from eggplant with paper towel.
- Drizzle/brush veggies with some olive oil, sprinkle salt only on zucchini (since eggplant already has salt), sprinkle pepper over all.
- Roast veggies until browned, about 5 minutes each side, turning once. Then remove eggplant that is done, and let zucchini roast about 3 minutes longer. Remove and let cool. Turn off broiler and now preheat oven to 500 degrees F for the chicken.
- For the dressing, blend basil, 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper until basil is in small flakes.
- In a medium bowl, add tomato and/or red pepper with roasted veggies. Drizzle with dressing, to taste, and toss. Set aside at room temperature or in the fridge.
Chicken Parmesan
- In a small bowl, stir together oil, thyme, rosemary and parsley. Brush both sides of cutlets with herb oil, and sprinkle both sides of cutlets with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet over high heat. Place the cutlets in the skillet and cook until just browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat.
- Spoon marinara/pasta sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon mozzarella over each cutlet, then 2 teaspoons parmesan over each.
- Bake chicken in oven until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully as this cooks quickly. Garnish with basil and serve hot with the roasted eggplant and zucchini. Enjoy!