I was brought up on Italian-style breaded chicken and it’s only natural that I expose my sons to a similar ranges of foods as their palate grows, and when my oldest son declares that he wants to cook something with me, this dish sprang to mind.
Whisking of eggs and mixing the grated parmesan in with the breadcrumbs was enough to make his eyes light up.
Baking the chicken pieces is a great way to keep the dish nice and light, oh and it’s a delicious recipe too by the way!
his is one of the many lean recipes that I’ve created where flavour and simplicity are key. There are hundreds of lean recipes in my app The Lean Cook with adjustable calories and macros.
Ingredients for 2 servings
| 360 g | chicken breast, cut into small fillets | 400 g | chopped tomatoes, blended until smooth | 20 g | parmesan, freshly grated | 30 g | panko breadcrumbs | 2 | whole eggs | 10 g | pesto | 10 g | olive oil | 60 g | frozen peas | 150 g | spaghetti | 1 pinch | sugar | spray olive oil | salt & pepper |
Method
- Pre-heat your oven to 200°C fan/400°F and line a baking sheet with non stick foil.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly season with salt and pepper before whisking.
- Add the grated parmesan and panko breadcrumbs to another bowl and mix together.
- Place a large frying pan onto the heat and add a few sprays of the olive oil.
- Take a piece of chicken and coat it firstly in the egg and then in the cheese/breadcrumb mix before placing in the warm frying pan.
- Repeat until you’ve used all the chicken and brown the first side only.
- When you’re ready to turn the chicken over, place the pieces onto the baking sheet (browned side up) and bake in the oven until they’re cooked through – this should only take as long as the sauce and spaghetti take to cook.
- Place a small sauce pan onto the heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is warm add the garlic and let the garlic infuse the oil for a minute.
- Add the blended tomatoes to the pan along with a little seasoning to taste and a pinch of sugar.
- Bring the sauce to the boil before reducing it to a simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling water according to the manufacturers instructions and 2 minutes from the end of cooking time add the frozen peas to the pot to cook.
- After 10 minutes, add the pesto to the sauce, stir and check the sauce for seasoning.
- Take the chicken out of the oven making sure that it’s cooked through – it will be firm to the touch when pressed with a fork.
- Drain your spaghetti and peas, arrange them on the plate before adding the chicken pieces and drizzle as much sauce over the top as you like!
Recipe Notes
- Traditionally in Italian cooking you would use the smallest pinch of sugar to take any acidity out of the tomatoes.
- I like to use spaghetti, tagliatelle or spaghettini for this recipe.
- Serve with a lovely green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!
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