Parmesan Chicken with Raw Pesto Courgettini

It sometimes seems that I am on a never ending mission to reduce the amount of heavy starchy carbs that I eat, they encourage my blood sugar leves to misbehave and often make less room for more nutrient dense vegetables.   Having a toddler in the house, however, means that we need balanced meals, varied menus and food that we can all eat together at the table.

My daughter loves pasta in many forms, but the wiggly novelty of spaghetti enchants her, and when meal times are tough, this will always win her round.  It’s a great carrier of my raw green spinach pesto, packed full of spinach and garlic, and certainly a comfort, but I often think the shape of this pasta is part of why she loves it.  It’s easy to eat and fun to hold, and so when I came across the concept of courgettini, effectively courgettes sliced into spaghetti like proportions, I had a feeling we could yet get more of the raw green good stuff into my two year old (with her still thinking it was fun).

I couldn’t resist serving the pesto courgettini with Milanese style parmesan crumbed chicken, it felt like a treat, but this meal is light as a feather, and full of vitamins.

Ingredients – serves 2-3

250g organic chicken mini fillets (or standard chicken breast slices lengthways into two or three strips)

150g breadcrumbs, Panko is best

100g finely grated parmesan

1 large organic egg, beaten

50g plain flour

3 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil

3 courgettes

3 tablespoons of pesto, from a jar, or make your own with my raw pesto recipe here

Method

Start by preparing the courgettes.  I have just discovered a julienne peeler that will make this super easy and quick, but otherwise I achieved the same result with a sharp knife and a bit of concentration.  The courgettes stay raw, so you want the strips to be long and fine and evenly sized.

Once the courgettes are sliced, toss with 2-3 tablespoons of pesto, and set aside.

Lay out four plates, put the the flour on the first, egg on the second and then the parmesan and breadcrumbs on the third.  With clean hands, take your chicken (either Brest cut into strips, or mini fillets left whole), dust lightly all over with the flour, then dip in the egg, followed by rolling well in the cheese and breadcrumbs until it’s well coated.  Placing the coated chicken on the fourth plate.

When you have coated all the chicken, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat.  Test the heat of the pan by dropping a couple of breadcrumbs in, if it sizzles lightly on contact the pan is ready.  Fry the chicken pieces for 7 minutes or so on each side,  although a quick job, it requires attention not to let the coating burn.  When you think it’s done and is golden all over, check the chicken is cooked through and that the juices run clear.

Pile the chicken next to a mound of courgettini and serve with anticipation of happy eaters enjoying crispy chicken and happy bodies enjoying lots of raw good things.