Easy Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 0.5 teaspoon dried basil
• 0.25 teaspoon dried oregano
• 0.25 teaspoon sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), halved crosswise
• 1 large egg
• 0.5 cup dry bread crumbs
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 0.25 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 0.5 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Instructions

1. To prepare the tomato sauce: Heat oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce slightly thickens and the flavors combine, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm. Remember to save half the sauce for another meal!
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's tender but still firm, about 12 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
3. To prepare the chicken cutlets: Place the chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a mallet or heavy pan to pound the chicken to about 1/4-inch thickness.
4. Beat the egg in a shallow dish until well blended. Season the bread crumbs with black pepper in another shallow dish.
5. Preheat your oven broiler to high. Position a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat source.
6. Working one cutlet at a time, dip the chicken in the beaten egg, then in the bread crumbs. Place the breaded cutlets on a wire rack over a cookie sheet to help the breading stay in place.
7. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
8. Fry the breaded cutlets in the hot oil until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes. Clean and dry the wire rack and return it to the cookie sheet; place the fried cutlets on the clean wire rack.
9. Top each cutlet with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Broil until the cheese melts and is bubbly brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Divide the pasta onto 4 plates and top each with a chicken cutlet. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce over each cutlet, then sauce the pasta as desired. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

• Calories: 715 kcal
• Fat Content: 29 g
• Fiber Content: 6 g
• Sugar Content: 3 g
• Sodium Content: 655 mg
• Protein Content: 46 g
• Cholesterol Content: 126 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 67 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g