Healthy Chicken Parmesan

This Healthy Chicken Parmesan is a wholesome twist on a classic you love!  Only you will know that you've snuck a superfood in.

While traditional holiday food is fun, I often like to break from tradition. Not always on the actual holiday itself, mind you. But when I entertain around the holidays, I like to do something a bit different.

So, when Udi's asked me if I'd like to share how I celebrate with friends who have supported me in my gluten free journey and host a Friendsgiving of sorts, I knew Italian food was in order. They were nice enough to send me a platter, salad servers and a big box of goodies to help me prepare for the evening.

The boys are so funny every time we get an Udi's box. (I'm a brand ambassador for them and participate in events quite frequently. I do this because as a busy mom it is important that I be able to rely on non-GMO gluten free products.) You would think that they were getting a box of toys by their excitement. I love it because we are working on becoming a gluten free home and their lack of resistance to switching to gluten free bread and goodies is critical to our success with this.

Anyways, when the box arrived I explained to them what we were doing and asked them what they thought we should serve. Since they are both fussy eaters, I knew it was going to take some work to come up with something they both would eat. Alex won't touch pizza (unless it is Mexican) or Baked Ziti. Christian, on the other hand, is pretty easy when it comes to Italian. The challenge is gluten free Italian for him, as the only gluten free pasta he will eat is quinoa pasta. (Which rules out lasagna.)

When we finally decided on Chicken Parmesan, I knew it was a winner and something that would be company worthy.

I'm happy to say that this was loved by kids and adults alike. I served it with salad and green beans and it was simply amazing. I made a double recipe so that I'd have more than enough and we ended up having leftovers. I put the pasta at the bottom of a 8 x 8 casserole dish and topped it with the chicken and marinara, then cooked it covered until it was heated through the next day. We all thought it was almost as good the next day, which is something you can't say for most crispy chicken recipes.

If You Like This Healthy Chicken Parmesan You May Also Like:

• Slow Cooker Eggplant Parmesan
• Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese
• Baked Chicken Taquitos
• Instant Pot Paneer Lasagna

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Healthy Chicken Parmesan

This Healthy Chicken Parmesan is a wholesome twist on a classic you love!  Only you will know that you've snuck a superfood in.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Calories: 586kcal

Author: Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• 2 pounds organic boneless chicken breast
• ¼ cup evaporated cane sugar ***see note
• ¼ cup sea salt
• ¾ cup toasted quinoa flour
• 1 ¼ cups gluten free breadcrumbs ***see note 2
• 1 ¼ cups quinoa flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons organic canola oil or other high heat oil
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
• 3 ounces fresh parmesan
• For serving: Marinara Sauce and Quinoa Linguine optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound until ¼ inch thick. Fill a large bowl with water and add evaporated cane sugar and sea salt (or brine kit). Stir until dissolved. Add chicken and allow to soak for thirty minutes to an hour.
• Remove chicken from water and shake excess water. Dredge in toasted quinoa flour and allow to sit on a plate for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, place quinoa flakes in a food processor. Pulse until they are coarsely chopped, but not to the point where you have flour. Transfer to a shallow dish and stir in breadcrumbs, Italian season, parsley, sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper.
• Combine eggs and milk in another shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the egg wash and dredge in the quinoa flakes bread crumb mixture. Allow the chicken to sit for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Heat oil to medium high in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
• Place chicken on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through. Top with Marinara sauce and serve with quinoa linguine if desired.

Notes

Note: You can use a brine kit and skip the sugar and salt Note 2: To make gluten free breadcrumbs, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place gluten free bread (I used Udi’s sandwich bread) in the food processor and pulse until you have fine bread crumbs. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 5696mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 357mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Disclosure: I received free products in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are my own.