Baked Chicken Parmesan

Hello, friends! I don’t know about you, but this winter has been busy! My cousin was married in Florida in early December and I was one of her bridesmaids. Christmas, then New Years, and then my birthday… and now with Valentine’s Day coming up. THEN I’m spending a week in the lower 48 (the states below Canada – I’m in Alaska) with my parents planning my own out-of-state wedding before attending my other cousin’s wedding in March. My life is a bit of a whirlwind right now. Finding time to spend with family, relax, and continue healthy, home cooked meals every night is a struggle. Luckily, this baked chicken Parmesan is light and easy; perfect for your next weeknight meal.

This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don’t have it on hand, no worries! You can make your own buttermilk (which is actually what I did). You can use whatever type of milk you have (whole, 2%, skim… I used skim). For every 1 cup of milk, drizzle in approximately 1.5 tbsp lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes until it begins to look a little curdled, then mix up and there ya go! Buttermilk!

Ingredients:

• 1.5lb chicken breast (my package contained 3 large breasts)
• 2-3 cups Italian Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 – 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella
• 15oz marinara sauce
• Fresh basil leaves
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Begin butterflying each chicken breast, except cut all the way through creating two thin pieces of chicken. Sandwich a slice of chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet (or heavy flat bottom pan) to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness. Place in buttermilk while you complete all breasts. Prepare two sheet pans with aluminum foil and non-stick cooking spray. If you have two wire racks, you may instead spray this with non-stick spray and place on top of the baking sheet pan.

Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, oregano, and pepper on a large plate. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Now you are ready to begin breading your chicken. Begin with the chicken breast from the bottom of the stack in your buttermilk bowl (to allow for the longest marinade time). Take one breast and let excess buttermilk drip off before dipping into whisked eggs. Again, let the excess egg drip off before dipping in the breadcrumb mixture. Coat evenly in breadcrumbs and transfer to wire rack or sheet pan. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Bake at 375° for 17 minutes.

While chicken is baking, heat marinara sauce. Prepare basil by stacking leaves, rolling from left to right, then slicing into ribbons. After 17 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven, ladle a scoop of marinara sauce over each breast and top with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with basil.

Serve with side salad and enjoy! 😀