Low-Carb Chicken Parm

Ingredients:

o  1-2 lbs. boneless-skinless chicken breasts

o  Salt and pepper

o  2 oz. pork rinds

o  1.5 oz parmesan, freshly grated

o  1 tsp. Italian seasoning

o  1 tsp. garlic powder

o  1/8 tsp. Hungarian (hot) paprika

o  1 egg

o  Low-carb tomato sauce of choice (or see notes below)

o  4-8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Line a shallow-rimmed baking pan with foil for easy clean-up.

2.      Rinse breasts under cold water being careful to not splash. Remove to a cutting board.

3.      Slice thick breasts into cross-sections, as to make a more-thin breast. 

4.      Place cutlets and small breasts in between two sheets of plastic wrap. Starting from the center and working out to the edges, pound lightly until the chicken is even in thickness, about ¼”.

5.      Pat breast cutlets dry and season with salt and pepper.

6.      To make the breading, combine pork rinds, parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic and hot paprika into a food processer. Pulse until ingredients create a fine breading. Pour into a shallow dish or rimmed plate.

7.      In a small dish, beat one egg. One at a time, dip cutlets in egg and shake off excess before placing into breading. Press the breading into the chicken and place onto pan. Leave space between cutlets to allow for airflow.

8.      Place into the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

9.      Flip cutlets over onto a dry area of the pan and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the breading starts to brown.

10.  Top each cutlet with sauce and cheese. Return to oven and broil for a few minutes until cheese is melty and bubbling. 

11.  Serve hot with mashed cauliflower or your preferred side. Enjoy!

Notes:

• If you do not have Hungarian or hot paprika, simply substitute for regular paprika (NOT smoked!) and add a sprinkle of cayenne.
• In order to get crispy breading, it is important to really shake off excess egg. A light coating is all that is needed.
• I added the tomato slice for the last minute under the broiler. It looked pretty, but didn't add much.
• I tried two types of tomato "sauce", both were delicious. I used a jarred sauce I had in the fridge on half. The other half, as you'll see was way more time consuming, with not enough benefit. I did enjoy, however, that it wasn't so juicy, allowing the crust to stay extra crisp. I did as follows: Drain a can of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes. Add to a bit of oil heated in a small sauce pan. Add a heavy splash of thick, barrel-aged balsamic (not balsamic reduction...unless you're looking for added sugar). Cooking over medium, stirring constantly, add salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning and extra basil. Remove from heat, leave uncovered to allow liquid to evaporate.