When Mike and I are eating healthy on a regular basis we eat a lot of chicken.  I have to find new and creative ways to prepare this lean source of protein so we don’t grow tired of it.  The nice thing about chicken is that there are countless things you can do with it to change-up the flavor.

Last week I knew I wanted to have chicken for supper on Thursday night.  I usually like to try to do a healthy meal on Thursday night before we go into the weekend.  It makes me feel a little less guilty about splurging a tiny bit (and some times a bit more 🙂 ) on Saturday and Sunday.

Recently on a Saturday afternoon, I had tried making Chicken Ranch Bites.  They smelled delicious, looked beautiful, and tasted great!

As we began eating them, we were both in love with the taste but as we delved into our fourth and fifth bites, we began to notice they were a little too salty.  I could especially tell when I was done eating all of them and all I wanted to do was drink a gallon of water 🙂  I had to rework the recipe a little so it had less sodium but still combined most of the same flavors.

So on Thursday I thought I’d give them another try with whole chicken breasts, tweak a few of the ingredients, and add something to give it a little crunch.  I was inspired by one of our favorite fish recipes – Mozzarella Tilapia.  I thought by reducing the amount of ranch seasoning, adding some breadcrumbs, and capping it all off with parmesan instead of mozzarella that I might have the perfect combination…and boy was I right! My second try at this recipe was pure success!

Crispy Parmesan Ranch Chicken was right on target and is easily a favorite chicken recipe that is simple and healthy.  I served ours with a side of veggies, but I think this recipe would also be great served over a bed of pasta topped with alfredo sauce or in a salad.

Hope you enjoy this easy recipe as much as we did!

Here is what you’ll need on your grocery list:

**This recipe makes enough to serve 4 people.  Again, you’ll notice I only have 2 chicken breasts in my picture (I made T.J. a small 3 oz version and didn’t add his until after I took the picture 🙂 ) but I have written the recipe for 4.**

4 (6 oz) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Egg Beaters

1 tbsp Ranch Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Pour Egg Beaters into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Add ranch seasoning mix and stir to combine.  In a separate shallow bowl, add breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Dip each chicken breast in egg mixture, thoroughly covering all sides and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture until all sides of chicken are covered.  Place in baking dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Chicken is done when it has baked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Serve and Enjoy!

This really is an easy recipe that can be quickly thrown together on a busy weeknight.  The best thing is you’re able to eat healthy without feeling deprived!

Until next time…