Just got home from a wonderful trip to Ireland and London with an amazing group of friends, and settling back into the daily routine. Though it’s hard to come back to reality, I am looking forward to jumping back on the healthy eating and exercise train. We ate (and drank) like Kings over there and luckily I maintained my weight, only because we walked about 8 miles a day haha. That won’t happen everyday at home, so I need to definitely get back into whippin’ up healthy recipes. Here’s a deliciously simple and light recipe I came across while watching Giada at Home! I tweaked it a bit to lighten even more.
-Melanie
Health tips: Low fat, heart healthy, low carb, diabetes friendly
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 chicken cutlets, about 3 ounces each
- Kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
- 6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat mozzarella (1 heaping tablespoon for each cutlet)
Salad
- 3 cups baby arugula
- 1 cup small basil leaves
- 1/2 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar
- Kosher salt
Steps
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle the cutlets on both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper flakes.
- Place the cutlets in the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the first side, 3 minutes. Flip, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the marinara sauce and turn the cutlets to coat in the sauce. Top with the mozzarella, reduce the heat to medium, and cover the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Meanwhile, combine the arugula, basil, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Toss well to coat.
- To serve, place one piece of chicken on a plate and top with a spoonful of sauce. Add a bit of the salad right on top of the chicken. Garnish with more parmesan if desired. Enjoy!