Category: Main Dish

Traditional Chicken Parmesan is breaded and fried which makes it an unhealthy dinner choice and Italian restaurants are very tricky to navigate if you are trying to eat healthy.  This recipe saves the day for people who love Italian food.  It is not only health-i-fied but it is so easy it just isn’t fair.  This is sure to be a family favorite!

Serves 4-6

Core & Advanced Plan

2-4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breast halves (if they are very thick, you can pound them with a meat mallet to make them thinner)
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 t Italian Seasoning
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t kosher salt
1 T olive oil
1 beaten organic egg
sliced or shredded organic mozzarella cheese
Jarred marinara sauce (check ingredients for NO sugar)

Spread the olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot. Whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl and mix the almond meal with the seasonings and the Parmesan cheese in another separate dish.  Set up your dishes in assembly line form.  Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the almond meal mixture, coating both sides with eggs, almond meal and seasonings.

Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot and layer mozzarella cheese on top and cover with entire jar of marinara sauce.  Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours

Serves:  4

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups spinach, washed and drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
6 slices cheese (preferably raw cheddar, havarti, feta, ricotta)
4 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
sea salt
black pepper

Butterfly chicken breasts, lay them flat and using a sharp knife, slice the breast in half longways, opening it up like a book.  Be sure not to cut through to the other side.  You want it to be one large, thinner piece of meat.  Salt and pepper both sides and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Boil a some filtered water in a saucepan and add sun-dried tomatoes, boiling for about 5 minutes.  Drain and when cool enough, chop fine.

Heat olive oil and garlic on low heat.  When warm, add spinach and stir until spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat.

Lay chicken on a cutting board and spread 1/4 of the spinach/tomato mixture on the chicken and top with a slice of cheese.  Roll up as tight as possible and secure with a toothpick if necessary.  Place in a greased baking dish.  Do the same with the remaining 3 breasts.

Cook about 18-20 minutes or until thermometer reads 165 degrees.  Serve as is or use a very sharp knife to slice into rounds.

Serving Suggestion:

Asparagus & a fried egg (over easy or over hard)

This is an extremely simple recipe that is absolutely delicious!  It takes a little extra work in de-boning the chicken breasts but many stores will do it for you.  This cuts down on the risk of knife injuries!  Leaving the skin on makes for a super presentation and nice crispy layer.  It is so simple yet perfect to impress your family or dinner guests.

1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped fine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless organic, free-range chicken breasts, skin on (preferably de-boned)
1 lemon. cut into wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium-low heat, (do not let the olive oil smoke or the garlic brown)  Off the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon sea salt and pour into a glass or ceramic baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up on top of the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them sea salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and place them around the chicken breasts.  Be sure to put the chicken on top of the sauce and do not pour the sauce over the chicken – this gets the nice browning at the end.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is done and the skin is nice and browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes, covered and serve hot with the sauce from the pan.