Chicken Eggplant Parmesan

My Chicken Eggplant Parmesan is a healthier version of an Italian-American classic. Chicken cutlets layered with grilled eggplant slices and the whole thing smothered in tomato sauce and parmesan, it’s so yummy, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually pretty good for you as well! With plenty of veggies for vitamins and not a lot of oil or carbs, it’s one of those few dishes that manage to be a comfort food AND healthy at the same time.

Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken Parmesan – What’s the Difference?

There is no difference between chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana (sometimes shortened to chicken parm). It is just two different names for the same dish, in which breaded, fried chicken cutlets are topped with tomato sauce, parmesan and mozzarella.

In this dish, we’re not breading and frying the chicken, but just grilling it, and adding in some grilled eggplant as well. This makes the dish much more healthful and lower in calories.

Tomato Sauce

You can use a marinara sauce straight out of a bottle if you want to save time. But if you have a bit more time to spend, I strongly recommend making your own tomato sauce. Not only does it taste much better, you also have complete control over what goes into it. Bottled sauces often have a lot of added salt, sugar, or other additives to make them shelf stable or give them a cheap flavor boost. So if you can make your own, please do. I have a recipe here for a good basic tomato sauce. You can make a large batch and freeze it in portions, so you always have some excellent homemade sauce available to go when you need it.

The other ingredients are very simple and available from any grocery store and require only the minimum of preparation work.

Grilling the Chicken and Eggplant

This is the primary reason why chicken eggplant parmesan is healthier than regular chicken parmigiana. Instead of using breaded, fried chicken cutlets, we’re grilling thin slices of chicken breast, just brushed with a little oil – less fat, less carbs, and far fewer calories. We’re also adding in slices of eggplant for some additional vitamins. As well as sneaking in some extra veggies, the eggplant also adds a beautiful, silky texture to the dish.

Get your griddle pan nice and hot and give that meat and eggplant some black stripes. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way through, the oven will take care of that later on. In this step, we’re just browning the edges for a bit of extra flavor.

Assembly

Oil a baking dish lightly to stop it sticking, then layer the chicken and eggplant slices inside, spreading marinara sauce over and sprinkling with parmesan as you go. I try and make sure that each section contains each of the ingredients rather than all the chicken bunched on one side, but you don’t need to be too neat or methodical about it. This dish is pretty near impossible to serve in neat slices anyway!

Finish off with a layer of eggplant, then add the pieces of mozzarella on top.

Baking Chicken Eggplant Parmesan

If you’re baking the dish immediately after grilling the chicken and assembling it, it only needs about 20 minutes in the oven. But you can make it all the way up to assembly and store in the fridge for up to one day until ready to bake. If you are baking it from the fridge, it will need an extra 10 minutes or so in the oven to be sure it is piping hot throughout. Either way, you will know if it ready once golden-brown on top and bubbling at the edges. If in doubt, stick a fork or metal skewer into the middle, leave it for a few seconds, then check the temperature of the metal. If it’s hot, you’re good to go.

Storage Notes

As mentioned above, you can store it overnight before baking. But leftovers also keep well in the fridge for up to a few days. It’s actually quite nice cold, especially with a green salad on the side, but it reheats beautifully in the microwave as well.

And More…

Looking for more healthy baked chicken recipes. I’ve got a few!

• Baked Chicken Kiev
• Oven Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
• Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Baked Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
• Baked Chicken Nuggets

Conclusion

If you’re craving Italian-American comfort food but want something a bit healthier, this is the dish for you. Chicken Eggplant Parmesan ditches the deep fried breaded chicken in favor of simple grilled cutlets – much better for you, and no less tasty. Throw in the extra veggies in the form of eggplant and home made tomato sauce, and you’re onto a crowd-pleasing winner.