Many, many moons ago… in fact, about 18 years ago, I made dinner for the man who became my husband and the father of my children. Chicken Parmesan was the first meal I ever cooked for him. The chicken turned out okay, but you should have seen the look on his face when I broke the spaghetti in two! That’s how we always did it in my family.
Doesn’t everybody?
Uh, no. True pasta connoisseurs do not break the spaghetti noodles in half. But, thankfully, he didn’t hold it against me. And the rest, as they say, is history. For the last few years I’ve recreated that first date dinner for Valentine’s Day. We enjoy the meal with our kids and take a walk down memory lane.
This year in light of our new food goals for the year, I healthified it just a tad. Instead of coating the chicken in egg and white bread crumbs and frying it in oil, I used buttermilk, whole wheat bread crumbs, and non-stick spray and baked the chicken. Instead of a heavy coating of mozzarella, I used a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan. And while white pasta is super delish, I mixed it with 1/2 whole wheat spaghetti. Steamed broccoli on the side rounded out the meal.
The added plus was that, all told, the meal — to feed all 8 of us — only cost $6.47! That’s one good (and cheap) eat!
Chicken Parmesan
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (made from the heels of a loaf of bread)
1/2 teaspoon each salt, dried basil, dried oregano
nonstick cooking spray
2 cups heated spaghetti sauce
1 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions
grated Parmesan cheese
steamed broccoli
Preheat oven to 375°. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In shallow dish, combine buttermilk, garlic powder, and black pepper. Rinse chicken breasts and allow to marinade in buttermilk mixture. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, salt and spices. Dip chicken breasts in bread crumbs to coat. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until coating is crisp and chicken is cooked through. Juices should run clear. Serve with pasta, pouring sauce over top and sprinkling with cheese. Serve broccoli on the side.
What’s your first date dinner?
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Can I prepare the chicken breasts up to the point where you dip them in the breadcrumbs and then freeze them until a later date to bake?
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Jessica Reply:
December 5th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I haven’t done it yet, but I’m going to guess that you can. But don’t quote me on that. I’ll add it to my list of things to test.
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I love that the changes you made actually made it cheaper too!
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This sounds so yummy! I will definitely have to try it asap! I am like you, I always have broken the pasta. My mom always did so I did too. LOL
God bless,
Amanda
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This is so funny, I think that Chicken Parmesan was one of the first dinners I made my husband when we were dating also. We love it and have it regularly. While I still saute my chicken in EVOO, I do use Dijon mustard sometimes instead of eggs or buttermilk. But I think I’ll give this one a try also. Thanks. As always, a huge fan of your site!
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I HAVE to try this soon! Thanks!
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Jessica Reply:
January 3rd, 2012 at 5:32 pm
It’s really yummy.
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We ended up trying out this recipe last night. I baked it on a cooling rack nestled on a cookie sheet. It worked out great! But we decided to saute the cooked breasts in olive oil and butter and bake in some sauce (topped with mozzarella!). It was super easy and super tasty! And yes, it was served with crockpot red sauce and spaghetti with a side salad. YUM!
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