Crunchy Chicken & Red Sauce with Whole Wheat Pasta (Recipe)

This so "nummy"!!!  Tom gave it an 11 out of 10!!  (I guess he liked it!!!)  You will fall in love it this recipe too, especially when you find out how with how easy it is to fix.  This recipe started out as a party treat, Crunchy Chicken on toothpicks with red dipping sauce.  But I discovered that it is also amazing over whole wheat pasta topped with cheese!!  If you serve this dish with a simple salad with a few spritzes of spray-on salad dressing .... you have dinner for 400-450 calories!!!

Prep: 10 minutes                              Cook Time:  15mintues                                  Servings 4

1              pound                     Thick chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
1              large                       Egg
1              Tbsp                       Garlic, minced
1/2           tsp                          Dijon mustard3/4           cups                       Panko
1/4           cup                         Parmesan cheese, grated (I use Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1              Tbsp                       Italian seasoning
1              tsp                          Garlic powder
2              cups                       Pasta sauce (I just use Prego with Meat sauce)
2              cups                       Cooked whole wheat spaghetti
8              Tbsp                      Part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (I also use same cheese as above)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2.  Place the chicken in a large bowl.  Whisk together the egg and mustard and minced garlic in a small bowl.  Pour the egg mixture over the chicken and stir to coat all pieces.  Remove the chicken and shake off the extra egg. 

3.  Meanwhile, combine the panko, Parmesan cheese, seasoning, and garlic powder in a large resealable plastic bag or container.  Add the chicken and shake to cover all pieces.  Remove the chicken, place on the baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and sizzling.

4.  Heat the pasta sauce while the chicken is cooking.

5.  Serve ½ cup spaghetti with one-quarter of the chicken, 2 Tbsps mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup pasta sauce.

Nutrition Info:  (1/2 cup spaghetti, 8 pieces chicken, 2 Tbsp cheese, ½ cup sauce)
Calories: 380       Total Fat: 9g (Sat Fat: 4g)     Sodium: 650mg     Carbs: 39g     Dietary Fiber: 4g    Protein: 37g     Calcium: 25%