Chicken & Spaghetti... with a healthy fun twist!

Generally speaking, I attempt to eat healthy (i.e. lean meats, low carbs, high fiber), but sometimes I just want a big bowl of pasta! When my guilt does not allow me to fulfill that craving, I turn to wonderfully creative recipes like this one. Meseidy from The Noshery has this really cool recipe for Chicken Parmagiana with Zucchini Noodles. Does that sound cool or what?!

I started with the chicken breasts, which I pounded out to about 1" thick, and soaked them in some lowfat buttermilk. Thick and creamy, yum.


Meseidy says to soak them for 5 minutes. I ended up leaving them in the fridge for a few hours (eek!). Turned out okay! I put 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs on a dish, along with S&P, and 1 tsp of Italian seasoning.


I coated each piece of chicken on both sides with the breadcrumb mixture, and placed them in a baking dish I sprayed with cooking spray. You can see I ended up with two big breasts, and a couple small nuggets. Don't ask me how I ended up with the little guys.


I threw them in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through. While those were baking, I washed my zucchinis and squash. Look at them, lined up and ready to go!


I used a zester to make the "noodles". I cut each zucchini length-wise, then used the zester to make strips of zucchini. You'll see it gets more difficult to do this as you get closer to the core, since it is softer at the core. When you get to this point, move on to the next zucchini. Meseidy says to discard the cores; I sliced them up and kept them in the fridge for a little stir fry next time!


I ended up using 5 of the zucchinis, and the 1 yellow squash, to end up with about 2 cups total.


I then sliced a shallot, and minced 4 cloves of garlic.


I also prepared my vine-ripened tomato and roasted red peppers by dicing them.


I cooked the shallot and garlic in a hot pan with olive oil, until they were translucent.


I added 1/4 cup tomato sauce, and some freshly chopped basil.


Then I added the diced tomato and red pepper.


It is coming together! I let this simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.


Time for the noodles! I added these to the tomato sauce.


And mixed it all around to coat the zucchini. I let it cook for just a few minutes, because I did not want the zucchini to get mushy.


As the chicken was reaching completion, I pulled out the dish and put some shredded mozzarella on top. Then I turned on the broiler to melt and brown the cheese.


Once the chicken was done, a delicious meal was ready for me to enjoy!! I am very very very pleased with this dish, for many reasons -- its creativity, nutrition, and taste. Who would think of making noodles out of zucchini? The noodles ended up being perfectly cooked, not too crunchy, not too soggy, and added such a lovely flavor to the dish. The tomato sauce is subtle and light, and the shallot and garlic add the perfect amount of flavor. I highly recommend you try this one out! It is a lot of fun, and a guilt-free way to enjoy pasta!



Chicken Parmagiana with Zucchini Noodles
from The Noshery
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
S&P
1 tsp Italian seasoning
6 small zucchinis
1 large yellow squash
1 shallot
4 garlic cloves
1 vine-ripened tomato
1/4 cup roasted red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 shredded mozzarella
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Place chicken breasts in a large ziptop bag. Pound out breasts with a heavy object until they are about 1" thick.
2. Fill a shallow pan with buttermilk. Place chicken breasts in buttermilk, ensuring they are completely coated. Let soak for at least 5 min.
3. Fill another shallow pan with panko breadcrumbs, and add S&P and Italian seasoning. Combine.
4. Transfer chicken to breadcrumbs, coat on both sides.
5. Transfer chicken to a greased baking sheet/dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, turning once halfway through.
6. Cut each zucchini/squash in half lengthwise. Using a zester, run it down the length of the zucchini, until you reach the core. You should end up with about 2 cups. (Slice up the cores and save them for a stir fry!)
7. Thinly slice the shallot, and mince the garlic. Dice the tomato and roasted red pepper.
8. Heat olive oil in large pan. Add shallot and garlic. Saute until translucent.
9. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce, and half the basil. Cook at medium heat for 2 minutes. Add tomato and roasted red pepper, cook for 5 minutes.
10. Add the zucchini noodles. Toss with the sauce, and saute at medium heat for about 5 minutes. Try not to overcook the noodles.
11. When the chicken is just about done, pull out the dish and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Turn on the broiler, and allow top to brown.
12. Serve the chicken over the zucchini noodles, and garnish with fresh basil. ENJOY!