Chicken Parmesan Casserole

This recipe is the most popular post on one of my new favorite blogs, Emily Bites! I've tried several of her lightened up main dishes and they have all been major winners!

This casserole is awesome for so many reasons. Although I love my classic Skillet Chicken Parmesan, this recipe skips the steps of dredging and dipping which can get bit messy. Just throw the raw chicken in the oven with a few other simple ingredients and you'll have a comforting, flavorful supper waiting in less than an hour. I especially love the buttery and crunchy topping! Pair this with a green salad and this famous bread from Pioneer Woman!

Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Adapted from Emily Bites
Servings: 8
Calories: 303
Fat: 11 g
Protein: 37 g
Carbs: 15 g
Fiber: 1 g

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ t crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

• ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

• 2 cups marinara/pasta sauce (I used Trader Joe's)

• 1 ½ cups 2% part skim shredded mozzarella cheese, (shred yourself please!) divided

• 2 oz (or ½ cup) Parmesan cheese, grated (I used the stuff in the green can), divided

• 3.5 oz garlic croutons, roughly crushed

• Fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray and spread cubed pieces of chicken across the bottom in a single layer. Sprinkle the minced garlic, red pepper flakes and basil evenly over the top. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with ¾ cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the parmesan. Scatter the crushed croutons on top and cover with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

A lot has happened since I last checked in! Gradon and I took a trip to New England and hit Providence, New Haven, Newport and Boston. Each was cool in its own way, but Rhode Island felt the most homey. It was exactly the way I had always pictured it in my mind! Some of our sweetest memories were riding our bikes to the Newport mansions, walking the jagged cliff walk, snacking at the fabulous food court that is Quincy Market, eating questionable melon pastries in China Town and admiring the boston skyline over the shimmering bay. 

We scoped out a few med schools while we were there and were pretty impressed with them.While seeing Eastern Virginia Medical School, we stopped in randomly at a diner called Doumars (the cute ice cream sign drew us in) and it turned out to be a city icon! Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives was framed on the wall because he had featured the place on his show. The best part was the uncommonly friendly people—an elderly gentlemen who was a regular at Doumars even picked up our tab!