Paula Deen's Lean: Baked Ham and Cheese Chicken

Yum! This dish is so good and even though it is "fried" in a skillet, it's still a healthy version of this southern-inspired specialty. Paula's Baked Ham and Cheese Chicken is also really easy to make, which is a major plus for me. In about 15-20 minutes, I had a hot, tasty chicken dish for dinner. Here is how I made this dish lean.

BAKED HAM AND CHEESE CHICKEN
Yields 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1 cup WHOLE WHEAT flour
2 teaspoons Paula Deen House Seasoning
2 EGG WHITES, beaten
Hot sauce
2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Olive oil
4 slices 97% FAT FREE DELI SLICED ham
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
4 slices 2% REDUCED FAT PROVOLONE cheese

Greek Seasoning:
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder


DIRECTIONS:
Dredge the chicken breasts in WHOLE WHEAT flour seasoned with House Seasoning, then dip in EGG WHITE wash with hot sauce, to taste, then dredge in a mixture of Greek Seasoning and Parmesan. Brown the chicken on each side in a skillet with olive oil on medium high heat. After frying, transfer chicken to a sheet pan. Top with 1 slice of ham, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley and 1 slice of Provolone cheese. Place in oven for 8 minutes, just until cheese melts and starts to get bubbly.
Greek Seasoning:
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.


THE OUTCOME:
For someone that spent way too many years just baking or grilling chicken, I am easily impressed by recipes that deviate from the norm. But honestly, this dish was really good! I left out the bread crumbs (cuttin' those carbs), but the Parmesan cheese, egg and flour created a wonderful outer layer to the chicken all on their own. No bread crumbs necessary. Extra virgin olive oil was also used for browning the chicken in the skillet. Yes, it has 14 grams of fat per tablespoon, however, these are "heart healthy" fats. Only 2 of the 14 fat grams come from saturated (saturated fats are the bad ones). The FDA makes a Qualified Health Claim (NOV 2004) stating,"...scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil." If that isn't reason enough to fry up this dish, I don't know what is! Do your taste buds AND your heart a favor. I loved it and I hope you do too! ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):  470 calories;  18g fat;  23g carbohydrate;  54g protein;  3.5g fiber