I’ve always loved Italian food. It’s like a carb addict’s dream come true. Noodles, bread, gelato – hello jackpot.
However, one aspect that I don’t appreciate so much about Italian fare is that it’s generally pretty heavy, cheesy and over-the-top on calories – especially one of my favorite dishes, chicken parmesan.
After discovering that ciabatta rolls have just 180 calories, I was astonished and, on a mission – to create the perfect sandwich. Friends, I’ve done it.
Behold the chicken parmesan sandwich. Simple grilled chicken (or sautéed/grilled eggplant), tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, sliced red onion all on a toasted ciabatta bun. I’m in healthy food heaven.
I used to make chicken parmesan often when we were first married, but it’s time consuming and always ends up being on the heavy side. This simplified version has far fewer calories and only takes about 15 minutes to throw together, making it an ideal meal for the busy work week.
You can top the sandwich with your favorite tomato sauce or pesto, and then reserve some extra marinara for dipping – just a suggestion, but a very strong suggestion.
With crusty ciabatta, juicy chicken, melty cheese and rich marinara, you really can’t go wrong. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner.
- 2 ciabatta rolls
- 4-6 chicken tenderloins*
- red onion, sliced
- 2 slices fresh or deli mozzarella
- ½ cup marinara tomato sauce*
- Fresh parmesan for topping
- Turn oven on low broil and heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Brown chicken on both sides and season with salt and pepper.
- Split ciabatta in half, scoop a little bread out of the middle if you prefer a more even chicken-to-bread ratio. Then, top each with one slice of mozzarella and toast for about 5 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Remove ciabatta from oven, top with chicken, red onion slices, marinara and parmesan cheese.
- Serve warm with extra marinara for dipping.
*Sub pesto for marinara if you prefer.
Rebekah Smith September 11, 2012 at 10:57 am
Looks lovely. I love fast, healthy, scrumptious meals for my family especially during the week days.
natalie@thesweetslife September 11, 2012 at 3:25 pm
I’m all about simple meals that are healthy too!! Definitely keeping this in mind!
Genevieve September 11, 2012 at 8:28 pm
That looks gooood!
Michelle September 25, 2012 at 5:57 pm
We just got done eating these for dinner, and they were absolutely amazing! They taste like they took considerably more effort too, which is such a bonus. :P. Thank you so much for a new favorite. :)