Lighter Chicken Parmesan with Simple Tomato Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 ½ cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)1 tablespoon olive oil 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus extra for serving½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder 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 cutlets2 cups tomato sauce, warmed (see below)3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about ¾ cup)1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Simple Tomato Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes 4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon olive oil ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leavesBefore You Begin
If you are tight on time, you can substitute 2 cups of your favorite plain tomato sauce for the Simple Tomato Sauce. Two cups of fresh bread crumbs can be substituted for the panko (they will shrink as they toast). Because these cutlets are breaded, we found that one cutlet per person was plenty—but try to buy the largest chicken breasts you can to ensure good-sized portions.
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- For Simple Tomato Sauce:Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about ten 1-second pulses; set aside. 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 measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.
Yield
Serves 6Ingredients
1 ½ cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus extra for serving
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
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 tomato sauce, warmed (see below)
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about ¾ cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Simple Tomato Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus extra for serving
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
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 tomato sauce, warmed (see below)
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about ¾ cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Simple Tomato Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus extra for serving
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
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 tomato sauce, warmed (see below)
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about ¾ cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Simple Tomato Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a low-fat chicken Parmesan recipe worth eating, we found that if we first toasted the bread crumbs with a little oil before coating the chicken, it would give them flavor and color—enough so we could then bake the breaded cutlets on a rack in a 475-degree oven. Replacing the full-fat mozzarella with low-fat cheese in our chicken Parmesan recipe also reduced fat. And to keep the cutlets crisp, we topped the individual cooked cutlets with sauce and mozzarella and heated them through on the rack rather than in a casserole dish.
Before You Begin
If you are tight on time, you can substitute 2 cups of your favorite plain tomato sauce for the Simple Tomato Sauce. Two cups of fresh bread crumbs can be substituted for the panko (they will shrink as they toast). Because these cutlets are breaded, we found that one cutlet per person was plenty—but try to buy the largest chicken breasts you can to ensure good-sized portions.
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- For Simple Tomato Sauce:Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about ten 1-second pulses; set aside. 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 measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.
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