Sunday Dinner: Chicken parmesan, garlic pasta and veggies

by Jen (April 18, 2008)

This week’s Friday Dinner includes three easy recipes for a complete meal: Chicken parmesan with pasta in garlic butter sauce and steamed veggies. You get plenty of protein from the chicken, carbohydrates from the pasta and bread crumbs, a reasonable amount of fat from the parmesan and the butter in the pasta sauce, and some fiber from the veggies. Total prep time: 30 minutes.

Main course: Chicken Parmesan

You’ll need:

• 4 boneless, skinless Chicken breast halves
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (Italian are preferred; you can make your own by adding some salt, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, and a touch of oregano to regular bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs)
• 2 cups Spagetti Sauce (about 15 oz)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesian Cheese (the fresher the better)
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese (you can go lowfat on this if you want)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Flatten the chicken breasts until they’re the same thickness (so it’ll all cook through well). Lightly beat the eggs. Stir the parmesan cheese into the bread crumbs. Dip each chicken breast into the eggs and coat them well. Then dip each breast into the crumbs. Bake the chicken for at least 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Pull out the chicken, spoon spaghetti sauce onto it, then lay slices of mozzarella over that and cook for five more minutes.

Angel Hair or Spaghetti in Garlic Butter Sauce

The simplest side you could make with Chicken Parmesan would be angel hair or spaghetti pasta with the same spaghetti sauce you used on the chicken. But with very little effort, you can make something really different. You’ll need:

• Spaghetti or angel hair pasta (angel hair cooks faster)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• Salt & pepper

Cook your pasta. Melt butter and garlic in a skillet with moderate heat. After about three minutes, the butter will start to brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and season the butter with salt and pepper, then pour onto the pasta. You can do all this while the chicken is cooking.

Italian Steamed Veggies

For a fresh contrast to the chicken and pasta, cut up some veggies and steam them for a couple of minutes - not long enough to lose flavor or crunch. Any veggies you like will do. Zucchini, onions, bell peppers and tomato. Green beans and carrots. Brocolli, cauliflower and red pepper. Zucchini, mushrooms, and onions. If you or someone you’re cooking for just can’t stand steamed veggies, saute them in a little olive oil or butter. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top to
give them some crunch and nutty flavor. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Posted in Easy Food Tags: Sunday Dinner
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