Baked Chicken Parmesan

I love chicken parmesan. I love eggplant parmesan. Essentially, I love fried stuff and pasta.

In America, chicken parmesan is a dish we see commonly throughout Italian restaurants. Eggplant parm is sometimes an option, but more of an alternative - the vegetable version of the standard. I suppose that speaks to how we are in general; meat is a main course, with vegetable or starch sides. But it hasn't always been that way.

In Italy, there were times when meat was uncommon. Eggplant parm is the original fried parmesan dish. I find this interesting, because moussaka is a popular Greek dish that also has an eggplant base.

Chicken parm itself is actually an American dish, hence the pairing with pasta. The website I cited above goes into this a bit; pasta is a main dish in Italy, not a side. But beyond that, chicken parmesan is not served in Italy. Only the eggplant O.G.

But we won't let that hold me back. I still enjoy the dish, but considering how common it is here, I was a little surprised. Then again, nothing in food history should surprise me anymore.

I was on a quest to make a lighter, baked version of chicken parm. I had read that you can brush the chicken with butter before breading it to help get the bread crumbs crispy. And that's exactly what I did, except I used avocado oil.

I baked the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until the breading was golden and crispy and the internal temp was at 165 degrees F.

I then topped the chicken with a little bit of marinara sauce and parmesan cheese to finish the chicken parm perfection. 

Crispy goodness! I even had a little crunch on the outside. I'd hit the nail on the head. This really compared to a fried dish, without the extra grease. As much as I love fried food, the way it feels so heavy in my stomach is not a delight. Not to mention the extra work involved. This one makes for an excellent weekinght dinner!

Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds thin sliced chicken breasts (or slice full chicken breasts lengthwise)

3/4 cup bread crumbs

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil or melted butter (I used avocado oil)

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Brush cooking oil on the outside of the chicken breasts, then dredge in bread crumbs to cover both sides. Lay on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with marinara sauce and parmesan and bake another 5 minutes. Serve with side as desired.