Panko Crusted Chicken Parmesan

Last weekend, in honor of my favorite show airing new episodes (Breaking Bad!!!), the boyfriends came over and ate dinner with me and my sister and brother. Since we had a house full of hungry guys to feed, my sister and I made our special Panko Crusted Chicken Parmesan. I’ve made this for my boyfriend before and he loved it.

 

For those that don’t know—Panko is a type of thick breadcrumbs. They’re extra crispy to add more flavor. Panko breadcrumbs are significantly lower in sodium than other types of breadcrumbs, especially the Italian breadcrumbs. The trick to keeping this dish low in sodium is using Panko crumbs and adding your Italian seasoning without salt. This is how my mom has been making chicken parm for years. The key to making home-cooked meals is choosing things that you can quickly whip together without too much of a recipe. This is an example of a recipe that I most of the time just eye-ball.

 

Panko Crusted Chicken Parmesan

 

You will need:

• 1/2 a chicken breast for each person served (buy large chicken breasts and slice in half to make them thinner)
• 2 eggs, cracked and whisked
• 1 can of unseasoned Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 can of unseasoned regular breadcrumbs
• 3 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp of olive oil per chicken breast, to stir fry in
• 2 cups of 2% reduced fat mozzarella cheese
• 15oz jar of tomato sauce, reduced sodium

 

 

First, crack your two eggs in a bowl and whisk. In the other bowl, mix 1 part Panko 1 part regular breadcrumbs. Add the 3 Tbsp Italian seasoning.

 

 

 

Slice your chicken breasts in half lengthwise, making them thinner. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Press the breadcrumbs into the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown both sides of the chicken. The meat doesn’t have to be totally done, because we are going to bake them in the oven as well. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

 

 

Add about half a cup of tomato sauce to each chicken breast once they’re all browned. Top with as much cheese as you like. I used 2 cups on all five of these chicken breasts.

 

 

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or when the cheese melts and starts to bubble and slightly golden.

 

 

Serve with spaghetti and more sauce! We made sautéed green beans and warmed up some French bread to go with. Delish!

 

Check out my recipe box for the printable.