Chicken Parmesan
My husband loves chicken Parmesan. One valentines day while we were dating, I made him chicken Parmesan. I bought sheets of large green square lasagna noodles and hand-cut tiny little heart shapes out of them for the pasta to go with our chicken Parm. Yes, it was a labor of love! I think I won his heart over (probably way before that!), but I know that was one memorable meal.
Not only did I hand-cut tiny our heart-shaped pasta, but I made everything else for the meal from scratch, complete with homemade marinara sauce, breading for the chicken, a Greek version of a wedge salad, and of course a gluten free chocolate cake to finish off our romantic meal. I was still living with my parents at the time, but they were out to dinner for the night, so I set the dining room table with my mom’s fancy china, candles, wine glasses, the whole works.
I had made hubby’s chicken with regular bread crumbs, but for myself, I made a gluten free version. I have adapted my gluten free take on chicken Parmesan since then and have perfected the art. And now since our whole household is gluten free, I just make it all with gluten free ingredients, it’s so much easier than having to make two versions! My kids love it just as much as my husband!
It’s hard to find organic or grass-fed mozzarella cheese, but recently I discovered a brand called buf that’s sourced from grass-fed buffalo, so I use that for to top the chicken for my husband and kids. For me, I don’t top mine with mozzarella since I cannot eat dairy, but if I do have some dairy-free mozzarella, like Miyokos brand, I will use that.
For the breading, I grind up gluten-free crackers with some oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Any gluten-free or grain-free cracker will do. I like to use Simple Mills almond flour sea salt or sundried tomato crackers, Artisan Tropic sea salt or sundried tomato crackers, Edward and Son’s plain brown rice crackers, Mary’s Gone Crackers herb or super seed crackers. And sometimes to make the cracker crumbs go further, I will blend in whatever gluten free flour I have on hand, such as brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, cassava flour, etc. Most people dredge their chicken in flour first, then dip it in an egg wash, and then bread it. That’s just too much! I skip the egg since I can’t eat egg, and I just bread the chicken with my cracker crumb concoction and the chicken gets plenty coated. I drizzle it with avocado oil or olive oil before baking and bake it off for about 15 minutes at 375, or until the chicken starts to turn slightly golden brown. Then I let it cool and top it with the tomato sauce and cheese. I either cook it right away or chill it until I’m ready to finish it off under the broiler just before dinner.
When I first made Italian classic for my husband, I did make my own homemade marinara; however, I don’t always have time let my own sauce simmer away on the stove for hours on end, so I often use my favorite organic jarred sauce. Whole Foods brand organic marinara or tomato basil sauce is a great option, and Aldi even sells the Simply Nature brand of marinara or tomato basil sauce, both of which are great, inexpensive jarred versions to use. I also love the Kirkland brand organic marinara, whenever Costco has it available, or Paesana’s organic tomato basil sauce, or a new recent find Sonoma Gourmet. There’s nothing wrong with jarred tomato sauce, as long as the ingredients are simple, clean, and there are no added seed oils, sugar, thickeners, etc…. or in other words, no junk!
To serve our chicken Parmesan, I always use organic brown rice boxed pasta, such as Jovial. I haven’t cut out any pasta shapes by hand since that day over 12 years ago now! And in this house we have at least one veggie with every meal, and for chicken Parm, it’s usually something like broccoli or green beans.
Chicken Parmesan
2 lbs. organic chicken breasts or tenders
1 box gluten-free or grain-free crackers, such as Simple Mills, Artisan Tropics, Mary’s Gone Crackers, or Edward and Son’s
salt and black pepper to taste
1-2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 – 1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 – 1/2 cup gluten-free flour, such as brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, or cassava flour (optional)
1 12oz or 16oz box of brown rice pasta, such as Jovial
1 jar organic marinara or tomato basil sauce, such as Whole Foods brand, Simply Nature brand, Kirkland signature brand, Paesana’s brand, or Sonoma Gourmet
8 oz. grass-fed mozzarella cheese, such as buf, thinly sliced
avocado or olive oil for drizzling
Grind up your crackers, salt, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and flour (if using) in a food processor until you get a fine crumb. Dump the breading mixture into a shallow dish. Place each piece of chicken into the dish individually and gently toss to coat and press in the breading. You may have extra breading leftover, and that’s okay! Place it in a jar in the fridge and save it for next time! Once each piece of chicken in thoroughly breaded, spread out the pieces onto a baking sheet and drizzle each with avocado or olive oil. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken starts to brown slightly. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before topping it with the sauce and cheese. Spread a spoonful of sauce on top of each piece of chicken and then top each with a slice of mozzarella cheese. You can finish cooking it now or chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to have dinner. Broil on high for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese just beings to bubble. While the chicken is finishing under the broiler, cook your pasta to al dente and cover until ready to eat. Serve your chicken with the pasta and extra tomato sauce if desired, and of course whatever vegetable you like! Enjoy!