Welcome back and thank you for checking out my blog. Today's dinner is Chicken Parmesan.
If you've read my previous posts you will know that this all began with my wife and I starting a diet. One of the big problems that we had to face was "how are we going to handle going to restaurants?"
The problem with being on a diet at a restaurant is that we have to figure out the nutritional values of each item that we are interested in, narrow those down to the ones that will fit our diets, and then decide which one we would like best. This is a long, tedious process that takes all of the enjoyment out of going out to dinner.
Another thing that we had to face is the high frequency that we go out to dinner and our attachment to some of our favorite restaurants. One of our favorites is Villa Nova in Worthington, this is a small family run restaurant that makes the best Italian food around. We have been eating here regularly for almost twenty years. One of my favorite things about Villa Nova is the simplicity of their food, everything is made with just a few basic ingredients but the food here is so good that every bite will have you thinking it's the best thing you've ever ate. I am convinced that the spice rack in their kitchen has a lone jar simply labeled "goodness".
If you ever get a chance to eat there, do it.
Where all of this left us was torn between the hassle of dealing with a diet and wanting to eat our favorite foods. The solution was to find recipes that fit our diets and also replicate our favorite foods as closely as possible. One of my favorite entrees at Villa Nova is Chicken Parmesan, this dish typifies the simple deliciousness that I described earlier. After doing some online searches I was able to find a diet recipe that closely reproduces the chicken parmesan at Villa Nova.
One difference between the chicken parmesan at Villa Nova and this recipe is that Villa Nova's sauce is thinner (without chunks) and has no visible herbs and spices, this recipe calls for diced (chunky) tomatoes and an assortment of herbs and spices. The other difference is that I am serving this recipe over whole wheat pasta instead of the traditional Semolina pasta.
This recipe calls for diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, this can be found in the canned tomato and tomato sauce section of you local store, it's worth taking the time to look for it. Also, this recipe calls for Italian seasoning which can be found in the spice section, Lastly, this recipe calls for Italian seasoned bread crumbs, you can substitute plain bread crumbs.
Let's look at today's recipe.
Chicken Parmesan
Prep Time 10 min. Cook Time 75 min. Serves 4
Ingredients
29 oz. canned diced tomatoes, with Italian herbs (2 Cans)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, four 4-oz. pieces
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, Italian
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 spray, cooking spray
1 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, fresh
Instructions
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar; simmer 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350f.
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 chicken breast halves to skillet; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and chicken breast halves.
Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7 -inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour tomato mixture evenly over chicken and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and bake at 350f for 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.
Serve with your favorite pasta.
This recipe yields 1 chicken breast half, 3/4 cup tomato mixture, and 1 oz. cheese mixture per serving.
This is a classic Italian dinner that everyone should enjoy. If you try this recipe, check back here, leave a comment and let me know how it worked out for you.
Next week - Crock Pot Red Bean, Andouille, and Rice Soup or My Hectic Life.
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