How To Make Chicken Parmesan Casserole

DINNER RECIPE FOR CHICKEN PARMESAN CASSEROLE

This is a nifty little recipe I just sort of created to see how it would turn out. It is based on traditional Chicken Parmesan but with a couple twists.

First, I did not bread the chicken but instead used a tad of olive oil and olive oil cooking spray to brown boneless and skinless chicken pieces on both sides.

I made my own marinara sauce and had that simmered and cooked beforehand.

I also used one of my favorite pastas, which is organic brown rice sphagetti pasta noodles from Trader Joe's. This pasta is wheat free, sodium free, gluten free and cholesterol free.

Then at the very last minute, I decided to add thinly sliced organic zucchini and white mushrooms I had on hand.

The result was a wonderfully delicious casserole that took only minutes to prepare. For my next creation, I'm going to try doing a Chicken Alfredo casserole!

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice Pasta noodles (or other spaghetti noodles) - enough for 4 servings cooked just to al dente stage
• 4 boneless skinless chicken pieces such as thighs or half breasts
• 2-3 cups of marinara sauce (homemade or prepared)
  
• Shaved Parmesan cheese (substitute grated)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese or other Italian cheese
• 1 large or 2 small zucchini
• 1 cup or so of sliced mushrooms
• Herbs to taste such as oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary
• Salt if desired

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray medium sized casserole dish with vegetable or olive oil spray.
   
3. If making your own marinara sauce, prepare that and have ready.
4. Have spaghetti pasta noodles cooked just to al dente stage, drained and rinsed and ready to use.
   
5. In skillet sprayed with olive oil cooking spray, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Brown chicken pieces on one side, then turn and brown on the other side.
6. Place cooked spaghetti noodles in prepared casserole dish.
7. Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese if desired.
8. Top with a thin layer of sliced mushrooms.
9. Top with thin layer of sliced zucchini
10. Place 4 partly cooked chicken pieces on top of zucchini.
11. Pour marinara sauce over chicken.
12. Cover top with fresh mozzarella or other Italian cheese as to your own taste in terms of amount, then sprinkle with a bit more shaved Parmesan cheese.
13. Cover - if using foil, spray the foil with vegetable spray to keep it from sticking to the casserole. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until zucchini is fork tender.
14. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve this great casserole with a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a green salad. This makes an excellent dinner that is relatively quick and easy to make.

• You can always prepare the chicken the traditional way by dipping the chicken in Panko or bread crumbs and browning on each side
• Try different Italian cheeses such as Romano or Provolone for a different taste
• I've even used Gruyere because I happened to have that on hand and it was still delicious
• Substitute carrots cut into super thin slices for the zucchini for a more bolognese type dish
• Change up the noodles to rotini or bow-tie pasta if you don't have spaghetti noodles on hand
• Substitute veal cutlets or thin sliced veal steaks for the chicken to make a Veal Parmesan casserole or substitute eggplant for an Eggplant Parmesan casserole for a meatless dinner choice
• Be creative and make other substitutions!

Be sure and check out the video on youtube for a great quick and easy variation to Chicken Parmesan again with no frying and unbelievably short prep time!