Ok so this is where I say I grew up Italian food and have always loved chicken parmesan but that would not be the truth! I did grow up on Italian food but I was so picky all I ate was pasta with Ragu sauce. No meat, no frills, nothing other than plain pasta with plain sauce.
At some point over the years I became a little more adventurous and started eating outside of my comfort zone. I began to love meat with my pasta and one day tried chicken parmesan. I LOVED it! I eat a ton of chicken BUT it is never something that I crave unless it is topped or stuffed. Chicken parm fits the bill!
NUTRITION
Including Broccoli this recipe has 269 calories, 8g fat, 14g carbs and 39g of protein! Without the broccoli it has 235 calories, 8g fat, 8g carbs and 36g of protein. It is protein packed and full of flavor without unnecessary carbs and fat. Winna winna chicken dinna!!!
KETO & GLUTEN-FREE
This recipe is keto friendly unless you end up pairing it with a pile of pasta – don’t! or do, whatever floats your boat! It is also naturally gluten-free (again unless you pair it with a pile of pasta!). There is plenty of sauce leftover to use on top of the broccoli, pasta or spaghetti squash! Whatever your little heart desires! I personally wanted to stick with the healthy route and just paired it with a pile of broccoli and it was healthy and delicious!
INSTANT POT OR OVEN
You can make this in the Instant Pot or oven! It is super easy both ways. I made this in the Instant pot and used chicken breast cutlets (another word for thinly cut chicken breasts). You can also use regular chicken breasts and cut them in half. I also used store bought sauce. There’s no shame in my game. Its easy, delicious and perfect for recipes like this! Just be on the lookout for a sauce that is around 8g of sugar or less. If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can make my other Oven baked chicken parm recipe by clicking here!
Products I love to use when cooking this dish:
- 2 lbs chicken breasts cutlets
- 1.5 cups lite mozzarella shredded cheese
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, Divided
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp creole
- 2 bags broccoli florets
- grated parmesan cheese
- chopped parsley or basil (fresh)
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add 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp creole and 1 tsp pepper to a small bowl. Stir.
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lightly season each side of the chicken with the seasoning.
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spray instant pot with cooking spray. pour half of marinara sauce on bottom of instant pot. add 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese and stir.
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lay chicken cutlets down on top of sauce and pour remaining sauce on top. add 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp salt.
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cover instant pot and make sure vent is turned to sealed. manually set to low pressure for 3 minutes. use 5 minute natural release method (let IP go into warm mode, wait 5 minutes then press cancel and release remaining steam)
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cook broccoli according to package instructions while chicken is cooking. (I added one bag to a microwave safe dish with 2 tbsp of water, covered & cooked for 5 minutes)
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if your chicken is NOT overlapping in the Instant Pot then sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of each piece of chicken and cover pot with lid (don't lock it) for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. If your chicken IS overlapping - transfer everything to a baking dish, sprinkle each piece of chicken with shredded cheese and broil for 5 minutes on low or until cheese is melted.
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serve with broccoli! Enjoy!
Saying Goodbye