These chicken parmesan muffins have all the flavor of chicken parmesan in little meatloaf muffin form!
Two words that usually make me cringe when I see them on a menu: chicken parmesan.
Why?
Because it epitomizes crap Italian-American food, restaurants with a white, green and red color scheme on their sign (something that will immediately deter me from ever entering) and a deep fried piece of dry meat slathered in a jarred red sauce.
And, the saddest part is that most Americans think that’s what actual Italian food is.
That, fried calamari and mozzarella pronounced like it’s related to the applesauce company. I know we all can’t be Giada, but the “motts-a-rella” thing kills me.
Killlllls me.
I’m not trying to be some elitist American of Italian descent, but chicken parm should be light, full of fresh herb flavor with a hint of a salty bite from the parmesan cheese.
Not doused in sodium filled marinara sauce with enough grease dripping off of it to fry 10 pounds of potatoes.
So, when I accidentally picked up ground chicken instead of turkey a couple of weeks ago, I decided to run with the whole parmesan thing but in a meatloaf, muffin kind of way.
It was either that or make my ground chicken sausage patties for easy breakfasts. Both delicious options but chicken parm won out this time around.
A way that incorporated all the flavors of what chicken parmesan should be without the typical American bastardization (<—that’s kind of a fun word to use) of it.
They ended up coming out moist, filled with plenty of freshness from the parsley and basil, just enough salt from the parmesan and plenty of flavor from the sun dried tomatoes.
Topped with a dollop of sauce and shaving of fresh parmesan, it’s what Italian should taste like.
I made them with the intent of having a pre-made high protein quick option to add to meals for the week (similar to the turkey quinoa muffins) and they lasted all of 2 days between the two of us eating them at every meal we could justify (breakfast would’ve been a little weird).
No gaudy flag inspired decor, no grease, no nasty sauce.
Love light Italian flavored recipes like these chicken parmesan muffins? Be sure to try these turkey zucchini meatballs too!
And for another Italian classic with a twist, try this tomato butter stuffed chicken marsala!
Chicken Parmesan Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon liquid egg whites
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a muffin tin or line with muffin cups.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with hands until ingredients are fully distributed.
- Roll into balls to fit muffin tin (the mixture will be pretty wet) and drop in.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes.
- Use a knife to help remove muffins once cooked and let cool on a wire rack.
- Top with fresh tomato sauce, basil and parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
You are my secret weapon in the kitchen… everyone thinks I’m so creative thanks to you! These were ridiculously amazing.
haha, love this. thank you, Katie :)
I may not be Italian (not even a little tiny drop! Sad…), but I get what you mean about chicken parm. I cringe when anyone I know orders it, mostly because I feel bad for their arteries! It’s just too much to handle – too much breading, too much oil, too much sauce, too much cheese (and I NEVER say that!). But these little guys look juuuuuust right (Goldilocks moment, anyone?). I especially love the sun dried tomatoes in them – my favorite!
Looks delicious! You amaze me with your creativity.
This looks so amazing!
That’s just taking it a bit too far…But it looks very phenomenal..Thanks for sharing..
These look phenomenal…you are a super talented photographer too!
And from one travel lover to another…it’s great to “meet” you!
Saw these on Pinterest, they look good! ALSO: I think some of those commenting missed your point with the Giada thing. I’m not Italian, but I AM originally from Brooklyn, so you’d be happy to know I say: mootza–rellllah. ;)
Best,
Gloria
P.S. Personally, I hate the way Giada says: Spig-git-tee. LOL!
Haha, yes they definitely did miss the point on that one. Glad someone actually GOT it ;)
And her spig-git-tee drives me nuts too. That’s just taking it a bit too far…
I saw these (and pinned them) on pinterest. I had to come right over to see your recipe. Bravo! These look delicious and sound quite simple to make. I also love that you used egg whites in keeping with a lower calorie dish. Oh one other thing, I couldn’t help but notice that you used a red and white checked napkin in your photo. Just sayin’ LOL
haha, i did! And I thought about how that was kind of flying in the face of what I was going to say too. Irony I guess. ;)
Amazing. Your photography is incredible!
What a great idea! Bookmarking.