Chicken or Eggplant Parmesan with Green Beans

Chicken/Eggplant Parmesan w/ Green Beans

Breaded Chicken/Eggplant

2 Large Chicken Breasts (or 2 Eggplants, or 32oz Faux Vegan Chicken)

1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs

¼ Cup Grated Parmesan

1 tsp Salt

4 Whole Eggs

2 Tbsp Water

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If using Chicken Breasts, start by slicing them in half so that they are thinner but still retain their whole breast shape. For Eggplants, remove the top stem, then cut them lengthwise into 1-inch thick slices, then lightly score them by gently slicing diagonally down one side of the “meaty” inside part. For Faux Chicken, it will most likely come in chunks or pieces, so no cutting should be necessary. To save words on the page, I will just say Chicken, but the steps remain the same for Eggplant and Faux Chicken.

2. Crack 4 eggs into a medium mixing bowl, then add 2 Tbsp of water and whisk with a fork until evenly combined. Set aside. Add 1 cup of Panko, ¼ cup of parmesan, and 1 tsp of salt to another bowl and stir until combined. Set aside.

3. Dip the Chicken into the egg mixture on both sides and coat evenly. Shake off any excess egg, then dip them into the Panko mix and coat evenly. Lay the coated Chicken into a medium or large, lightly oiled baking dish. Once all Chicken is in the pan and oven has reached 450 degrees, place the pan of Chicken in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. We’ll check our Chicken to make sure it isn’t burning, then continue baking for another 10 minutes.

Marinara

28 oz Can of San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

¼ tsp Black Pepper

1. While the Chicken in cooking, we will make the marinara sauce. Start by roughly chopping the Garlic. Add 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil to a medium sauce pot and turn heat to medium. Once Oil is hot, add Garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Add the can of Tomatoes, Salt, Sugar, and Pepper to the pot, and stir. Cook over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer, then turn heat to low. We’ll come back to this once our Chicken is almost done.

Chickpea Pasta

1. Add about 10 cups of water to a medium/large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-high, add your Pasta and cook until soft. It should take about 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil over.
2. Once fully cooked, strain off water and set aside.

Green Beans

1. Simply rinse your Green Beans under cool water, then place them onto a sheet pan and place them into the oven on a separate rack from your Chicken. These will only take about 8-10 minutes to cook. Season to your preference afterwards, if you wish.

Finishing Touches

1. By this point, your chicken should be just about done and the marinara should be hot. Remove the pan of Chicken from the oven, then ladle some marinara over the top of each breast. Sprinkle a few pinches of Mozzarella over the marinara and return the pan to the oven for 2 or 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
2. While the cheese is melting, get 7 or 8 Basil leaves, lay them on top of each other, roll them up into a tube shape, then thinly slice, or cheffonade.
3. Remove the Chicken and Green beans from the oven. Add about ½ C of Spaghetti to each of your plates. Top the Spaghetti with one of the sauce covered Chicken breasts. Add Some Green Beans to each plate. Finally, garnish your Chicken Parm with the fresh Basil, serve up the family, and enjoy!