Low-Fat Chicken Parmesan for Two
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 2, 2011
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Quick Marinara
1 teaspoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced¼ teaspoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons tomato paste ¼ cup red wine ½ cup diced tomatoes 1 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil Salt and pepperCrispy Chicken
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces2 teaspoons olive oil 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons fat free mayonnaise 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5 ounces each), trimmed and pounded ½ inch thick2 slices deli part-skim mozzarella cheeseBefore You Begin
If part-skim mozzarella isn’t available at the deli counter, buy a 16-ounce block in the cheese aisle of your grocery store and cut it into 1-ounce slices. You will need a can of cooking spray for this recipe.
Instructions
- For the quick marinara: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in garlic, oregano, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine and simmer until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook until slightly thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- For the crispy chicken: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let cool, then stir in Parmesan and salt; transfer to shallow dish.
- Spray wire rack with cooking spray and set inside rimmed baking sheet. Spread mayonnaise over top of cutlets and transfer to crumb mixture. Arrange crumb-side up on prepared rack and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake until crumbs are golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Top each cutlet with 1/4 cup marinara and 1 slice mozzarella. Bake until cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup marinara evenly over plates and top with chicken. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 2Ingredients
Quick Marinara
Crispy Chicken
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Quick Marinara
Crispy Chicken
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Quick Marinara
Crispy Chicken
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
With its fried exterior and blanket of melted cheese, chicken Parmesan is a perfect candidate for slimming down. We tried lower-fat Chicken Parmesan recipes, many of them simply offering smaller portion sizes. All were scantily clad in a crust of store-bought bread crumbs or cracker crumbs that either fell away from the meat or turned to mush at first contact with tomato sauce. And the coating of melted cheese was either plasticky (nonfat cheese doesn't melt well) or skimpy. Instead of eggs and flour, fat-free mayonnaise bound the breadcrumbs to our chicken cutlets—just on one side. For the second step in developing our Low-Fat Chicken Parmesan for Two recipe, we replaced pan-frying with frying in the oven, using toasted breadcrumbs to achieve a crispy exterior. Elevating the breaded cutlets on a wire rack in the oven helped them stay crisp. Finally, we didn’t skimp on the cheese—a full slice of part-skim mozzarella (thinly-sliced by the deli) blanketed each cutlet perfectly.
Before You Begin
If part-skim mozzarella isn’t available at the deli counter, buy a 16-ounce block in the cheese aisle of your grocery store and cut it into 1-ounce slices. You will need a can of cooking spray for this recipe.
Instructions
- For the quick marinara: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in garlic, oregano, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine and simmer until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook until slightly thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- For the crispy chicken: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let cool, then stir in Parmesan and salt; transfer to shallow dish.
- Spray wire rack with cooking spray and set inside rimmed baking sheet. Spread mayonnaise over top of cutlets and transfer to crumb mixture. Arrange crumb-side up on prepared rack and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake until crumbs are golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Top each cutlet with 1/4 cup marinara and 1 slice mozzarella. Bake until cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup marinara evenly over plates and top with chicken. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.
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