Chicken Parmesan (Lighter)

I mentioned in an earlier post that my goal for this month was to cook healthier meals for my family. This is a slightly lighter version of your typical chicken parmesan.  Broiling the chicken produces a nice crispy crust and the fresh mozzarella is a real nice touch.   I paired this dish with Cacio e Pepe and it was a big hit with the family.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
¾ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
3 large egg whites
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,  butterflied and pounded to an even thickness
2 cups low fat marinara sauce, such as Trader Joe's organic tomato & basil
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 8 even slices
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive oil cooking spray

Directions
Preheat broiler with a rack in the middle of the oven, about 18" below the heating element.
 
Add bread crumbs into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy.

Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper. Working with one at a time, dip the chicken cutlets into the egg whites, then place each cutlet in the bread crumbs and coat evenly.  Spray both sides of chicken cutlet with cooking spray and place the cutlet on the baking rack. Repeat until all chicken has been prepared.

Place the cutlets under the broiler and cook until browned on one side, about 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the cutlets. Turn the cutlets over and brown the other side.

While chicken is cooking, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a saucepan.

When the chicken is done, remove from the broiler and top each piece with several spoonfuls of marinara sauce and 2 slices of mozzarella. Return the baking sheet to the broiler and cook until the mozzarella is melted. Remove from the broiler, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.