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Epicurious

Unbelievably Easy Chicken Parmesan

Rarely do I shock myself with how great a made-over dish can taste. I’m pretty realistic. Apple pie is pretty much an impossibility if I want it to taste like traditional pie and be lower in fat and calories because of all of the butter. There really is no substitute for butter in a traditional pie crust. I thought this dish would be an impossibility as well. But when we pulled the chicken out of the oven the first time, everyone in my test kitchen was shocked at how fattening it tasted. We knew it would be good, but we had no idea it would actually be great, especially given how much quicker it is than the traditional version! Just be sure you don’t overcook the chicken. If you do, not only will the chicken be dry, the breading will fall off.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 2 servings

Ingredients

1 recipe Crouton Breaded Chicken (page 117)
1/4 cup low-fat marinara sauce (lower-sodium, if possible)
1/2 ounce (2 1/2 tablespoons) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (no more than 3 g of fat per ounce; I used Lucerne, found at Safeway chains)
1 teaspoon grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese (look for it in a plastic canister or jar, not in the refrigerated section)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Follow the directions for the Crouton Breaded Chicken, using fat-free Italian or Caesar-seasoned croutons instead of the herb-seasoned ones if you can find them (if you can’t, the herb-seasoned ones are a great second choice). During the last 2 minutes of baking, top each chicken breast with half of the sauce, half of the mozzarella, and half of the parmesan. Bake until the sauce is warm, the cheese is melted, and the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.

  2. nutrition information

    Step 2

    Each serving has:

    Step 3

    Calories: 228

    Step 4

    Protein: 31g

    Step 5

    Carbohydrates: 14g

    Step 6

    Fat: 3g

    Step 7

    Saturated Fat: <1g

    Step 8

    Cholesterol: 70mg

    Step 9

    Fiber: 1g

    Step 10

    Sodium: 419mg

Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.
TagsCutletItalian AmericanItalianEuropeanCanned TomatoTomatoVegetableMozzarellaCheeseDairyChickenPoultryParmesanMainDinnerNut FreeQuickEasyWeeknight MealsOven BakeCookbooks
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