Lighter Chicken Parmesean w/Simple Tomato Sauce

I may have mentioned that I got a couple of cookbooks for Christmas this past year. If I didn't, now you know. For our 10-year anniversary, I decided to make a Lighter Chicken Parmesean recipe from America's Test Kitchen and it did not disappoint! I have to admit that I did make a HUGE mess. We're talking The Parent Trap camp bunk disaster, but the clean up was well worth it. Can't go wrong with 310 calories and 8 grams of fat!

I made the Simple Tomato Sauce first:

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

Table salt and ground black pepper

Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and red pepper flakes in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and papper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

Parmesean Chicken

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ounce Parmesean cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Table salt and ground black pepper

3 large egg whites

1 tablespoon water

3 (7 to 8-ounce) bonelss, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed and breasts trimmed

1 recipe Simple Tomato Sauce (recipe follow), warmed (or you can substitute 2 cups of your favorite plain tomato sauce)

3 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

1 tablespook minced fresh basil leaves

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Combine bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly. When cool, stir in the Parmesean.

2. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a third shallow dish, whisk egg whites and water together.

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack over the sheed and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray. Halve the chicken horizontally, then cover the chicken halves with plastic wrap and pound the cutlets to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Using tongs, dip both sides of the cutlets into the egg whites and allow excess egg to drip back into the dish. Finally, coat both sides of the chicken with bread crumbs. Press on bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.

4. Spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 table spoons of sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top chicken with the mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesean seperately.