Not Quite a Chicken Parmigiana

Pin It Easy and healthy... that's the mantra in this household as we have certain health issues to be dealt with.  This is a lighter version of the Italian classic that makes use of my stored sauce.

For two servings:

1 chicken breast, sliced into halves (sliced butterfly style to make thinner cutlets)
the standard Italian dry herbs
1 egg, beaten
flour
Panko bread crumbs (these are lighter and crunchier than regular breadcrumbs, a regular in my pantry)
tomato sauce
fat-free grated mozzarella (of course, this is cheaper) or fresh mozzarella slices

Preheat oven at 375-degrees F. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and herbs. Rub them in, so the flavor stays even after breading the chicken.  Dredge chicken in flour, then dip into the egg, and finally into the Panko. Breading does not need to be thick, just enough to cover the chicken.  It's best to use a cookie cooling rack to bake these so the breading does not stick or gets soggy on the tray; so you get both sides of the chicken breast crunchy.  Otherwise, you can use a greased pan.  Put in the oven for about 20 mins.

Take out of the oven and pour tomato sauce over each chicken breast, just enough to cover the top.  Sprinkle the cheese on top of the sauce, the amount according to how you like it.  Put back into the oven just until the cheese melts. That's it!

I like to pair this with pasta, of course--another use for the tomato sauce.  While this is definitely not the same as the fried version of the dish, the Panko breading makes for a delightfully light crunch. This is one of our favorite meals in the household.  Quite a bit more than just a tolerable low-fat, low-sodium dish.