Wendi and I are on our second box we purchased from Honeytown Meats, but we still had a couple of packs of chicken left from the first. One was a chicken breast and the other chicken tenders. She pulled them both out of the freezer to thaw, and we decided to make chicken cutlets out of the breast so we could make parmesan-crusted chicken.
We have been on a 21-day eating plan, and on it, we have been eating fewer carbs. As I looked for the top parmesan-crusted chicken recipes, they all seemed to require dredging the cutlets in flour, dipping them in egg and then dredging in breadcrumbs before getting to the parmesan cheese.
I really didn’t want to add the extra carbs, so I found a work-around.
Also, Wendi found a nice recipe for garlic-parmesan zoodles (noodles made from zucchini using a spiralizer). The two made for a wonderful lunch.
Preparing the chicken
I always trim my chicken breasts before cooking them. I get rid of everything that’s not chicken meat. With much of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts sold in grocery stores, there is a lot I trim away. That was not the case with my Honeytown Meats chicken breast — very little needed to be trimmed.
I was able to get three cutlets from the chicken breast. I put them in a gallon-size plastic food storage bag and used a meat pounder to thin and tenderize the cutlets.
Not wanting to dredge the chicken and add carbs, I pondered how I would handle making parmesan-crusted chicken. I decided to use some of our all-purpose seasoning we make and sprinkled it on one side of the chicken cutlets.
Here is where I diverted from the recipes I read. Instead of dredging, I got some flour and just sprinkled it over the chicken.
Next, I sprinkled the parmesan cheese over the cutlets and then worked the flour and cheese into the chicken.
Pan-frying the parmesan-crusted chicken cutlets
While I was working the chicken, Wendi had 2 tablespoons of olive oil heating up in the pan. When the cutlets were ready for frying, I placed them in the pan.
As the cutlets cooked on one side, I repeated my procedure. Instead, this time I used a garlic-herb mix instead of our all-purpose seasoning. I probably should have done this on both sides. I followed up with the flour and cheese, and I again pressed them into the cutlets.
Though probably unnecessary, I decided to hit the top sides of the cutlets with some olive oil non-stick spray we had.
I cooked the cutlets for about three to four minutes on each side.
Preparing the zucchini
As I worked with the chicken, Wendi prepared the zucchini. We have a very basic spiralizer. It’s like a cone-shaped cheese grater. She inserted the thin and into the device and started twisting the zucchini.
Wendi said the twisting gave her forearms a workout. But, the spiralizer did a good job. She used two zucchinis.
When the chicken was cooked, we took the cutlets out of the pan and put them in the toaster oven to keep warm.
They were bits of fried cheese and chicken on the bottom of the pan. I wasn’t sure how to cook the zucchini. I thought we were going to boil it just like spaghetti, because that’s what it looked like.
However, Wendi said to get a couple tablespoons of butter and throw in some garlic. So, instead of boiling the zucchini, we were going to saute it.
I really appreciated that because I could use the same pan as the chicken. So, I added the butter and the garlic in the pan, sauteing the garlic before adding the zucchini.
As the zucchini was sauteing, I sprinkled some of our all-purpose seasoning on top. I figured there would be a lot of moisture in the zucchini, which would result in a lot of water in the pan. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. Wendi informed me later she had salted the zucchini, which drew out a lot of the water.
About halfway through (roughly five minutes) I added 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese. I had been moving the zucchini in the pan, but at some point I walked away to do something else. When I came back to the zucchini, some of the parmesan cheese had fried to a crisp brown on the bottom of the frying pan. I liked that because it added flavor to the dish.
The zucchini was done in about 10 minutes.
Preparing the tomato sauce
Well, there was not much preparation for the sauce. I had intended to open a can of whole tomatoes and saute them. I would have used olive oil, minced garlic, the garlic-herb mix, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley and a little sugar.
But, we had a can of Hunt’s spaghetti sauce, so Wendi heated it up in the microwave.
Time to eat the parmesan-crusted chicken
With the sauce heated, the parmesan-crusted chicken staying warm in the toaster oven, and the zucchini done, it was now time to eat.
I was curious how the chicken would taste, after all, I ended up just winging it and not using a recipe. So, we plated the chicken and zucchini and added a ribbon of sauce over the chicken.
Wendi said she really liked the parmesan-crusted chicken. When I bit into the chicken, it tasted a little like chicken parmigiana. I was pleased with how it turned out. Next time, I might try to add more parmesan cheese and just use the garlic-herb mix.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the zucchini. I really was not looking forward to it at all. However, it was really good. I could not believe it. Wendi loved the zucchini.
Wendi said she thinks the zucchini turned out good because I cooked it in the pan right after the chicken, and the parmesan cheese was nice and crispy. Because some of the moisture was removed, the zucchini did not have a slimy feel to it, she added.
Ready to make your own parmesan-crusted chicken?
If you want to cook this dish, then order the Beef and Chicken Box. You will receive three pounds of chicken breasts and three pounds of chicken tenders, along with beef.
