Chicken Parmesan ... so simple

Ah yes, Spring is in full swing and summer is rapidly approaching... which means dinner parties with friends and EASY meals to prepare so there's more time to hang! I'm going to let the photos sell you on this dish, because they will. And something fun about our version of chicken parmesan is that we don't use bread crumbs. It's much lighter that way and we find it doesn't really need them! This meal takes maybe 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes in the oven... SO simple and delicious and looks like a million bucks. So let's dive in.

INGREDIENTS: (for two)

• boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins, thawed... we used 4 breasts
• half box thick whole wheat spaghetti
• your favorite tomato sauce
• fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced into thick medallions
• big dollop yogurt, greek or regular
• 1 egg, whisked well
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• parmesan reggiano or parmesan romano blend cheese
• sea salt
• herbs de provence and rosemary (fresh or dried)
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly drizzle it with olive oil and prepare your chicken breasts for dipping. In a small bowl, whisk your egg and add in a fair amount of your herbs de provence and rosemary (yes, herbs de provence does include rosemary but I like extra). In another small bowl, toss together the cup of whole wheat flour with more herbs, about 1/2 cup parmesan and a sprinkling of sea salt. Whisk that together until you've got a nice, powdery blend. Place those two bowls of mixture side by side and close to your prepared baking sheet. 

Now place one breast at a time into the egg wash and press down until it's completely covered. Flip the breast over and repeat to the other side. Once the chicken is completely coated in egg herb wash, quickly transfer it to the flour mixture and press down firmly to make sure the flour mixture gets into all the nooks and crannies. Flip the breast and repeat to the other side. Make sure it's REALLY COATED, flipping a few times and pressing firmly each time to make sure it's really sticking. Then lay each breast onto the baking sheet side by side.

Once you've done that, pour all the excess flour mixture over the chicken breasts and then lightly drizzle over the top with olive oil.

Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of your oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast cuts clean and is cooked through.

Once your chicken has been baking for about 10 minutes, go ahead and start boiling your water for noodles. Once boiled, set your timer and only cook them for 8 minutes. Drain out most of the water but leave a little in the pan.

 Turn the heat to a medium low and add in your marinara sauce and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Stir that well and then add in your big dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Stir stir stir until well mixed and then sprinkle on some of that parmesan cheese. Ta da! Your simple tomato cream pasta is finished.

At this point, your chicken should be just about finished baking as well. So turn the heat to low on your pasta, keeping it warm while you finish your chicken... Remove the chicken from the oven and top each breast with a small spoonful of your marinara sauce. Then top each breast with the thick sliced mozzarella, a little more marinara, some more herbs de provence and a little more parmesan cheese. Place the sheet back in the oven for about 5 minutes, until that cheese gets melty and beautiful.

Now you've got a beautiful piece of chicken to place on top of a pretty pile of noodles... whip up a small side salad and voila!

Dinner is served.

Typical us, we served this with a peppery cabernet, but if you're serving it for a dinner party, I'd say a little red or white sangria is in order! I hope you enjoy every bite and you don't miss the breadcrumbs one bit!

 I have faith that you'll love it.

;)

XOX