Back in "The Day," I used to go to a restaurant called Palermo on Vermont in Los Angeles. I'd still go there, except it is far away from Santa Monica and Mick and I rarely go to any restaurant we can't walk to (I know, it's a problem). In those days, I could barely afford dinner, let alone wine to go with it, and they served free wine in plastic glasses out of boxes while you waited to be seated. That made me happy, especially since it always took awhile to get seated.
My favorite item on the menu was a dish called "Chicken Diane." As described on the menu, it is "a tender boneless breast of chicken lightly coated with seasonal bread crumbs, served with fresh mushrooms and white cream sauce." As described by me, it is yummy, decadent, and addictive.
I was recently reading a novel in which the characters go to Palermo for dinner and I was immediately transported back to my wine-from-a-box-chicken-diane days. I decided to try to come up with a lower calorie version of the dish, and this is what I came up with.
Oh, and by the way, I will still drink wine from a box if it's free, just so you know.
Chicken Diane (ala Holly)
Cook Time: 25 mins.
Level: Easy
Yield: 4
Ingredients:
1 package chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup light or regular alfredo sauce
1 cup pasta of your choice
1 cup chopped brocolli
2 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbs freshly grated parmesan
To make the pasta:
This is a trick I use often to maximize nutrition and minimize calories, and it works particularly well with this recipe.
Set water for pasta to boil with a handful of salt. When it boils, add your pasta and set your timer to cook it 3 minutes less than the directions say for al dente. When the time is up, add your brocolli and set the timer for the remaining 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Mix bread crumbs with salt and pepper. Dip chicken chunks into egg and dredge lightly in the bread crumbs.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add garlic and sautee for a 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the breaded chicken to the mix and sautee until browned and cooked through.
Add the alfredo sauce to the chicken and mushrooms and stir to coat them, keeping it on the heat for 1 more minute to heat the sauce. Remove from heat and add the pasta and brocolli. Mix well.
Serve on plates or in bowls. Garnish with the parsley and parmesan.
