Skinny Chicken Parm with Fresh Tomato Sauce

There is nothing better than tomatoes and fresh basil- I love them together and this recipe is a great way to turn them into an easy dinner! It’s high in protein, and a lighter take on the traditional chicken parmesan. The light flavor of garlic combined with the tomatoes and basil is delicious. I usually pair this chicken and sauce with pasta or ceasar salad (or both!). 

Recipe

Serves 2

For the chicken: 

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced in half to make it thinner
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Olive oil spray
• 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese 

For the sauce:

• 1 cup of grape tomatoes 
• ½ tablespoon of garlic 
• About 4 tablespoons cup olive oil 
• Pink Himalayan salt
• Fresh basil to taste, julienned 

Directions

Ryan and I usually work together to prepare the chicken and sauce- I prep the ingredients for the sauce while he dredges and coats the chicken, and both cook for about the same time. If you’re cooking alone, I recommend preparing the sauce first on lower heat and letting it cook longer, so you can be sure the chicken is hot when you eat it. 

1. Cut the chicken breasts in half to make them thinner, and lightly spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning. Put the olive oil in a separate bowl. 
3. Dredge the chicken breasts in the olive oil, then coat it in the bread crumb mixture. Place them on the cookie sheet. 
4. Lightly spray them with olive oil spray and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. 
5. Check the chicken after 10 minutes- cooking time will vary depending on the cut of the chicken. About 2 minutes before they are finished, pull them out and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and finish cooking. 
6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Cut the grape tomatoes into quarters, and put them in a large frying pan on medium heat for 6 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are blistered. Sprinkle them with the Pink Himalayan salt and about half the basil.
7. When the tomatoes are blistered, reduce the heat to simmer and put the garlic and rest of the basil in. Then, put it in the rest of the basil. 
8. Toss the sauce on the chicken and serve. Yum! 

What is your favorite easy dinner?