Chicken-sans-Parmigiana

One of my favorite meals pre-paleo and easy to convert.  No need for white flour, breadcrumbs or cheese.  The flavors in this dish are really good and even better if prepared in the crockpot* - where it is slow cooked to delicious perfection.

Begin by making the sauce:

1 tblsp coconut oil

1 lg onion diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28oz. petite diced tomatoes (make sure you read ingredients - many have added sugar and extras our bodies simply do not need)

1 4oz. tomato paste

1.5 C red wine (if you would rather not use red wine, you can use a cooking wine, but that would be a shame.  Cooking wine is really high in sodium and the flavor that comes from slow cooked red wine is amazing)

1 tblsp FRESH basil (yes, you can use dried, of course, but you will lose out on the fresh flavor!)

1 tblsp FRESH rosemary (again, dried is fine)

2 dry bay leaves

1 tblsp italian seasoning

pinch of sea salt

black pepper to taste

In a large casserole pot, heat the coconut oil over med heat.  Saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well until combined and simmer for an hour.  If sauce becomes too thick, you can add water (1/4 cup at a time).


Chicken:


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (yes, free range, organic is recommended, but I am not the chicken police...use whatever you have on hand)
1 C almond flour/meal (I have also used coconut flour for a different flavor)
1 tblsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
sprinkle of black pepper
pinch of sea salt
2 eggs
Coconut oil


Heat oven to 350 degrees.

You want to pound your chicken breast until they are thin (your call, but I like mine about 1/3" thin).  The chicken breast ends up getting rather large after it is pounded, so I cut it in half after pounding to have smaller portions; which becomes easier to handle.

In a shallow bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the eggs.  Whisk eggs in another shallow bowl.

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet.  Dredge each breast in egg then almond flour mixture - set aside. 

Once all chicken breasts are coated, cook a couple at a time so as not to over crowd the skillet, for 2 minutes each side, then place on baking sheet. 

Once all chicken breasts are lightly browned and on the baking sheet, pour about 1 cup of the tomato mixture over each chicken breast and  place baking sheet (uncovered) in oven.  Bake until chicken is cooked through (10-15 minutes).

You can serve this with any roasted vegetable (my favorite is brussel sprout or kale chips...mmmmm), fruit or a side salad.

*IF using a crockpot, you can do one of two things:
1.  Follow directions until chicken goes in oven.  At this point, you can place this in the crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
2.  Omit the almond flour/egg steps, place the chicken breasts in a crockpot that has been lightly brushed with olive or coconut oil, top with the rest of the ingrdients and cook 4-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.

Enjoy!