Lighter Chicken Parmesan with Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
panko, 1 1/2 cups olive oil, 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese (grated), 1/2 cup flour (unbleached all-purpose), 1/2 cup garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons egg whites, 3 water, 1 tablespoon vegetable cooking spray, 1 chicken breasts (large, boneless, skinless), 3 (trimmd of excess fat and sliced into cutlets) tomato sauce, 2 cans, warmed mozarella, shredded (part-skim), 3 ounces basil leaves, 1 tablespoon

Directions

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.

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.

Per Serving:

Cal 310; Fat 8 g; Sat fat 2.5

Grocery List for this recipe

1panko

1olive oil

1parmesan cheese (grated)

1flour (unbleached all-purpose)

1garlic powder

3egg whites

1water

1vegetable cooking spray

3chicken breasts (large, boneless, skinless)

2tomato sauce

1mozarella, shredded (part-skim)

1basil leaves