Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash

Calling all Italian food fans out there!! One of my favorite Italian dishes is chicken parmesan with spaghetti and tomato sauce. But surprisingly, I have only made this dish two or three times, which is odd considering how much I love it. I decided to correct that situation by creating my own quick and easy version of chicken parmesan, with a "healthy twist" addition of spaghetti squash instead of the traditional pasta!

A couple of weekends ago Laurie and I went out to dinner with some friends from the neighborhood at a new Italian restaurant in Lakewood Ranch (Bar Italia). We absolutely love Italian food, so we routinely frequent all of the great Italian restaurants here in the Sarasota area – Mediterraneo, Taverna Toscana, Café Amici, Cassarino’s Italian Eatery, Speaks Clam Bar, Bar Italia, and Osteria 500 (just to name a few)!

And when we go, I usually can’t help but order either the veal or chicken parmesan – I just love the combination of crispy crust, gooey mozzarella cheese, and tangy red sauce. I also have a hard time not ordering Caesar salad, fried mozzarella sticks, tomato and mozzarella salad, osso buco, short rib ravioli, or the gnocchi of the day dish (not all at once of course)!

But back to the chicken parmesan! I absolutely love this dish, but rarely make it at home, and I don’t know why! It’s not like it’s a time-consuming recipe that takes hours to make. I guess I just usually default to the other Italian classics Laurie and I love, like lasagna, pasta with homemade sauce with sausage and veggies, and eggplant rollups.

After our dinner at Bar Italia, where I ordered – you guessed it, chicken parmesan – Laurie suggested that I create my own version of this dish and include spaghetti squash “pasta” for a low carb meal. I accepted the challenge and got to work on my version of the classic!

I wanted to keep it easy, so I opted for a store-bought pasta sauce (there are so many great ones out there, but Rao’s, Carbon, and Michael’s of Brooklyn are three of our favorites). I also wanted it to be a quick meal suitable for a weeknight, so I chose thin chicken cutlets over chicken breasts so they would cook quickly in the pan. Finally, the spaghetti squash is a great alternative to traditional pasta when you are trying to reduce your carbs. You simply prepare the squash by cutting it in half, scrapping out the seeds, seasoning with salt and pepper and a bit of oil before roasting for 35–40 minutes.

The result is a quick, easy, and delicious meal that tastes as good as anything you would get in a high-quality Italian restaurant. But that’s just me – I wonder if you will feel the same? Give this recipe a try and let me know!

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash (Serves 4)

Yum! This recipe can be made easily in less than an hour if you can walk and chew gum at the same time, or in this case, roast some squash and cook some chicken at the same time! Use a top-quality pasta sauce from the store, and make sure to season the chicken liberally before coating it with the panko bread crumbs. Enjoy with a nice Chianti Classico (like San Felice, Villa Antinori, or Tenuta).  

Ingredients

1 3-4 lb. spaghetti squash

4 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 32-oz. jar store-bought pasta sauce (we like Rao’s, Carbon, or Michael’s of Brooklyn)

1.5 lb. chicken cutlets (about 4 cutlets sliced ¼-in. thick)

3 eggs, whisked, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper

1 cup flour, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced crosswise into 8 thin slices

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the spaghetti squash in half. Then scrape out the seeds from each half with a spoon. Rub the cut side of each half with ½ tbsp. olive oil, and season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Place each squash half cut side down on the lined baking sheet and roast for 35-40 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from the oven, turn the squash halves over, and scrape each half with a fork to create the spaghetti squash strands.

While squash is roasting, place the pasta sauce in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until simmering – then keep warm over low heat.

Also, while the squash is roasting, prepare a baking sheet by lining with foil and placing a wire rack in the sheet. Place the flour, eggs, and panko in three different plates or pans. Add the parmesan cheese to the panko and mix to combine. Pat the chicken cutlets dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with kosher salt and pepper. Working with each cutlet one at a time, coat the cutlets with the flour, shaking off any excess. Then place in the eggs and coat thoroughly, and then coat thoroughly with the panko breadcrumbs. Place the breaded chicken cutlets on the rack in the baking sheet.

Place 2 tbsp. oil in a 12-inch skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Place the four breaded cutlets in the skillet and fry for 4-5 minutes, until breading is golden brown. Flip the cutlets and top each with two slices of the mozzarella cheese. Cover and continue frying for 4 minutes until other side of chicken is golden brown and mozzarella begins to melt.

Top the spaghetti squash and chicken parmesan with the pasta sauce and serve immediately.