(Family Features) As people have spent more time at home, many have rediscovered the simple joy of home-cooking and stumbled upon a secret weapon for health at the same time. By making smart, intentional decisions from breakfast to dinner and every meal (and drink) in-between, they are supporting strong bodies.
A heart-smart eating plan is especially important for more than 30 million people in the U.S. living with type 2 diabetes who are at double the risk for heart disease and stroke compared to those without diabetes, according to the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association’s Know Diabetes by Heart initiative. When managing diabetes and heart health, building a consistent eating plan with the right balance can be a powerful tool.
Healthy eating provides benefits for the whole family whether members are managing existing health conditions or not. This recipe for Baked Parmesan Chicken is packed with 30 grams of protein in each serving yet delivers only 280 calories.
Find more recipes and learn more about managing the connection between diabetes and heart health at KnowDiabetesbyHeart.org/Recipes.
Baked Parmesan Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Know Diabetes by Heart
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Servings: 4 (3 ounces chicken per serving)
Cooking spray
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely crushed, low-sodium, whole-grain crispbread
1/3 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each), all visible fat discarded, flattened to 1/4-inch thickness
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly spray a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a shallow dish, whisk the egg, water and oil. In a separate shallow dish or pie pan, stir together the crispbread, Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano and pepper. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture then in crumb mixture, turning to coat at each step and gently shaking off any excess. Using fingertips, gently press the coating mixture so it adheres to the chicken. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the baking dish. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the top coating is golden brown.
Nutritional information per serving: 280 calories; 80 calories from fat; 9 g total fat; 2.5 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 125 mg cholesterol; 340 mg sodium; 530 mg potassium; 18 g total carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 0 g sugar; 0 g added sugar; 30 g protein; 370 mg phosphorus. Choices/Exchanges: 1 starch, 4 lean protein.
Source: American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association
