Healthy Chicken Parmesan With Veggie Noodles

Labor Day weekend. The end of summer. [Ed. note: Fact check = BOO] Baseball pennant races and the beginning of football season. [Ed. note: Fact check = YAY] During my childhood it was family gatherings, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon [Ed. note: Fact check = LADY], and literally the next day, the beginning of school. [Ed. note: Fact check = BOO REDEUX] A time many of you fire up the grill, and yet maybe some of you are looking for a healthy alternative.

It's not that I actively solicit requests (although to be clear, please never be afraid to reach out!), but for years this healthy chicken parmesan has been a hit with clients, friends, and family, and they all demand the recipe. The common comment usually revolves around how deceptively healthy this is. Sporting unbreaded chicken and loaded with vegetables, even the BF has said it feels like a pasta-inspired "cheat" that…really isn't. [Ed. note: Fact check = TRUE]

The dish is tasty any time of year. In summer, you can't beat a vegetable medley of zucchini, yellow zucchini, carrots and parsnips. In winter, instead of zucchini I substitute rutabaga, kohlrabi, butternut squash or celery root. Bonus: it's low carb, gluten free, grain free, and ready in under an hour. Perfect for weeknights, and if you are tending a summer garden as we approach Labor Day, this is a wonderful way to utilize those vegetables.

If you own one, you can use a Spiralizer, but I actually found it much easier to simply use a hand-held julienne peeler (see photo below). Last September, I used the same inexpensive tool to whip up the Vegetable Noodle Nest with Soft Boiled Egg. www.moveablefeast.me/blog/vegetable-noodle-nest-with-soft-boiled-egg  

Of note, almost all Spiralized or juilienned vegetables (especially root varieties) hold well for several days in the fridge, with the exception of zucchini, which tends to get a little limp and watery after a day. After Spiralizing the veggies, wrap them in a paper towel and place in a Ziplock bag. Get all the air out of the bag, and presto, you're done. For myself and the BF, the meal prep occurs at the beginning of the week, and all I have to do is sauté the veggies when dinner time comes around. To quote the immortal words of my spirit animal Ina Garten, "How easy is that?"

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and repeating: if you see anything on the other sections of my web site (i.e., photos) that you'd like to see a recipe blog post for, let me know in the comments below or reach out on any of the social media platforms listed. [Ed. note: We also accept e-mail, snail mail, carrier pigeon, smoke signals, drums, etc.]

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Inspired by: Giada De Laurentiis, FoodNetwork.com
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients
Chicken Parmesan

• 2-3 tablespoons extra virigin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 2 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs or 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise to make 4 cutlets) 
• 3 cups marinara sauce or one 24-ounce jar of your favorite brand or homemade (my favorite sauce is Don Pomodoro; contains no added sugar and tastes incredibly fresh)
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 8 teaspoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
• Basil, julienned, or chopped

Vegetables

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium green zucchini (not the enormous-bigger-than-your-head zucchini)
• 2 medium yellow zucchini  
• 1  parsnip, peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Vegetable Prep

1. Julienne the zucchinis, and parsnip just to the core (do not go past that point). Julienne the whole carrot. If using a Spiralizer, do the whole vegetable, no need to worry about the core. Cut super long pieces into smaller strands, about 6-8 inches.

Chicken Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 475 ˚F. 
2. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch oven-proof vessel and pour in marinara sauce.
3. Mix the olive oil and fresh herbs into a bowl and blend. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Gently pound chicken cutlets until even thickness.
5. Brush both sides of chicken cutlets with the herb oil. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add cutlets and cook just until brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Place cutlets over the marinara sauce and spoon sauce over chicken to lightly cover.
7. Top with mozzarella, sprinkle with parmesan.
8. Bake until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. After baking, I like to briefly place under broiler to get the cheese a little crispy. Not essential, I just like it.
9. Top with basil.

Vegetables (While the chicken is in the oven​...)

1. Heat oil in large sauté pan on medium-high heat.
2. Throw parsnips and carrots into a pan and stir with tongs for approximately 30 seconds to one minute. Add green and yellow zucchinis, and salt. Sauté for approximately one minute or less. You are looking for veggies to be cooked, but not mushy.
3. Divide between four plates. Top with marinara sauce and chicken cutlet.