Lighter Chicken Parmesan

So the good news is my surgery went fine and I have not had any complications.

The bad news is, I am already going crazy and I still have weeks left to go!

I had a double bunionectomy, to remove the bones on the sides my feet ... you may have already noticed this problem on the post about Greek Panzanella Salad when I showed you the tattoo Mr. V gave me?

I knew that the surgery was going to be painful and that recovery was going to be a very slow process.   And it will totally be worth it in the end when I am walking around pain-free.

But right now is pretty miserable.

As anything in life, though, it has its good & bad points.  Let's review the pros & cons:

These are my feet right now, and it's NOT cool.

AHH.

Food-wise it actually hasn't been bad so far, because my dad & mother-in-law were kind enough to make us some home-cooked meals.  But now that we're getting down to pizza, tacos, and frozen foods things should get interesting.  Maybe Mr. Vittles will be more appreciative of the things I do now that he has to take care of me!

But since you are presumably not hampered by mummified feet & velcro boat shoes, I think you should make this chicken parm & enjoy it in my honor!  I picked a light recipe in anticipation of some New Year's resolutions you may have  :)

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

• 1 1/2 C. panko bread crumbs
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
• 1/2 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 T. water
• cooking spray
• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each), trimmed of excess fat & sliced into cutlets
• 2 C. tomato sauce, warmed 
• 3 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 T. minced fresh basil

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Makes 6 1-piece servings.  Cal 310; Fat 8 g; Sat fat 2.5 g; Chol 75 mg; Carb 20 g; Protein 38 g; Fiber 1 g; Sodium 790 mg

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated