America's Test Kitchen Light Chicken Parmesan

By Brittany

This is my favorite Chicken Parmesan recipe, pay attention to the way it bakes. The way it is baked in the oven makes the chicken nice and crispy with a wonderful sauce without being soggy. I also love the way the fresh basil makes it so fresh and flavorful. I like whole wheat pasta since it's allowed on my boot camp diet so that's why the noodles look brown in the picture. Give this recipe a try!

America's Test Kitchen Light Chicken Parmesan

Sauce:

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBL tomato paste

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 TBL minced fresh basil

Salt and Pepper

Chicken:

1 1/2 cups dried Italian breadcrumbs

1 TBL olive oil

1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

3 large egg whites

Vegetable oil spray

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6-8 oz each), tenderloins removed, breasts halved horizontally and pounded to a 1/4 inch thickness

3 oz low fat mozzarella, shredded

1 TBL minced fresh basil

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and head the oven to 475 degrees

2. For the sauce: Pulse the tomatoes with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 seconds. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measure 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Of the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside until needed.

3. For the chicken: In one shallow dish combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. IN a second shallow dish combine flour, garlic powder, 1 TBL salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. In a third shallow dish, wish the egg whites and water together.

4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top and coat the rack with vegetable spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg whites, and finally coat with he breadcrumbs. Press on the breadcrumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay chicken on the prepare wire rack.

5. Spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

6. Removed the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 TBL of the sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top the sauce with 2 TBL of mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesan separately.

**The tomato sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.