Lighter Chicken Parmesan
Not too long ago, after I fell in love with Cook’s Illustrated magazine, I began recording the America’s Test Kitchen show on PBS. I have really enjoyed watching many of the recipes being made, picking up some tips and tricks along the way. An episode that I saved from a couple of months ago featured a lightened up chicken parmesan recipe. The key to this recipe is that the breaded chicken is not fried, but rather the panko breadcrumbs are toasted first, and then the breaded chicken is baked at a high temperature in the oven.
Big thumbs up on this recipe. This had tons of flavor, and the combination of toasted breadcrumbs and parmesan was tasty enough that I kept eating spoonfuls of it before the chicken got prepped. Next time I would probably do more smothering with the sauce and cheese, but this will definitely go into my regular rotation.
Lighter Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (90 g) panko, Japanese-style bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ounce (28.35 g) grated Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup, plus extra for serving
- ½ cup (62.5 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) garlic powder
- Table salt and ground black pepper
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon water
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and sliced into cutlets
- 2 cups (490 ml) tomato sauce, warmed
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, about 3/4 cup
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.
- 2. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.
- 3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then 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 the bread crumbs, Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.
- 4. 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.
- 5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top the sauce with 2 tablespoons of the 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.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I made this last night for myself and my three teenaged boys! We all loved it!!! I especially liked the idea of toasting the panko to give it more flavor. I now have a new healthy recipe to add to the dinner rotation. Thanks!!!
I’m new to your blog and am slowly working my way through your recipes! I made this tonight for my husband and 8 yr old and it was a hit!! Thanks and I can’t wait to try another BEB recipe :)
Made this tonight and my family LOVED it! Great crispiness to the chicken, and love that it’s lighter! Thanks!
I just made this for Valentines Day for my family. It was so delicious! My picky husband devoured it!
I made this tonight and it is really yummy! i love the idea of toasting the panko with oil first instead of frying. it got nice and crispy! the only thing i might do next time is bake it in a baking dish with a little sauce on the bottom to add a little extra sauce and moisture. thanks, we will definitely make this again!
this was fantastic! I used almost the exact recipe (added more salt) and my guests were totally amazed. It was easy too! I prepared the chicken ahead (dredged and coated) and left them on the wire rack in the fridge. Then just put them in while my water was boiling for my fresh whole what pasta with creamy pesto. This will be my go-to chicken parm recipe forever! Panko rocks
We love this recipe too. I’d even say I like it better than a “fattier” Chicken Parmesan. Yours looks beautiful!
I agree, this is some awesome Chicken Parmesan. The panko gives it such a great awesome flavor and crispness.
Ooooh! This looks SO good! Looks just as delicious as regular! yum!
I love chicken parmesan and will have to try this lighter version. I’m all for cutting out extra calories!
ooohhh my hubs is a HUGE chicken parm fan. I starred this to try later! Thanks for sharing…
oooh! I love when you can bake something instead of frying it.
Sounds wonderful! I’ve been looking for a new chicken parm recipe and I have a feeling this will be it :)
Looks fantastic Chelle. I love the idea of baking it instead of frying. I will def give it a go. :)
that looks great…i cant wait to try this sometime soon!!!! thanks for sharing!