Creamy chicken parmesan pasta
Crumbed chicken breast, pan fried until the panko crust is deeply golden, sliced over penne in a tomato sauce loosened with blended low-fat cottage cheese and a little reduced-fat cream cheese instead of a full cream base. Parmesan and torn basil finish it the way a chicken parmigiana should taste, just lighter on the way there.
Notable for: calcium, B vitamins, antioxidants
Ingredients
- 600 gchicken breast, sliced into thin cutlets
- 100 gpanko breadcrumbs
- 2eggs, size 7
- 40 gplain flour
- 400 gpenne
- 800 gchopped tomatoes
- 15 gcrushed garlic
- 75 glow-fat cottage cheese
- 25 greduced-fat cream cheese
- 50 ggrated parmesan
- 5 gdried mixed herbs
- 30 mlolive oil
Method
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Set up three shallow dishes: flour in one, the beaten eggs in the second, and the panko in the third.
Season the chicken cutlets, then coat each one in flour, dip it in egg, and press it into the panko so it's evenly crumbed on both sides.
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes a side until the crumb is deep golden and the chicken is cooked through, then rest it on a plate.
Wipe out the pan, heat the remaining olive oil, and cook the garlic for 30 seconds before adding the canned tomatoes and mixed herbs and simmering for 10 minutes.
Blend the cottage cheese and reduced-fat cream cheese together until completely smooth, then stir it through the tomato sauce and season to taste.
Cook the penne to the packet instructions, drain it, and toss it through the sauce.
Slice the crumbed chicken and serve it over the pasta with the parmesan grated over.
Press the panko on, don't just dip
Pressing the crumb firmly onto the chicken with the flat of your hand is what keeps it attached once it hits the hot pan. A light dip alone sheds half the crumb into the oil in the first minute of frying.
Storage
Best eaten the day it's made, since the crumb softens once the chicken sits in the fridge.
Leftovers keep two days - reheat the chicken separately in a hot pan rather than the microwave to bring some crispness back.
Cost per serving is indicative, based on New Zealand supermarket prices as at September 2026. Batch prices your own week against your own store on the day. Nutrition figures, including calories, are estimates rather than label readings, so always check the packet if you have an allergy. "Notable for" reflects well-established qualities of the ingredients used, not a lab measurement of this exact dish.