1.02.2016

{Recipe} Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Parm Sandwiches


OK, I know what you're thinking. How could THAT delicious looking sandwich be considered "skinny"…well I'll tell you, it's not. OK, most of it is. Everything except the bread is actually quite healthy & low in cal. That gooey mozzarella goodness you see is actually low-fat cheese. Under the cheese (minus a little sprinkling of parmesan) is simply chicken, vegetables & seasonings.  No oil & no breading (on the chicken that is) like you would normally find on & in chicken parm.  



The ciabatta bread I used was freshly baked & in my opinion worth every single calorie. But you could easily skip the bread if you're looking to keep it extra healthy & eat this with a fork out of a bowl because it is just that tasty. Besides being insanely good, did you see the part where it's cooked in the slow cooker? The two most beautiful words on the planet: slow. cooker.   My only complaint with this meal? It made enough to serve an ARMY! 


Tonight was night 3 & we STILL have more left, so to shake it up a bit, I made some pasta to try with the chicken. It was AWESOME & a welcomed change.  If you aren't serving this to a big crowd & you don't want to eat this for a week, I suggest halving the recipe below. Big thanks to Food Family Finds for this awesome recipe!

ABOUT
Serves: 8
Cook time: 6 hours 
How difficult was this for me? SO easy!

INGREDIENTS
29 ounces tomato sauce
14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes
12 ounces tomato paste
2 cups sweet yellow onion, finely diced
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
4 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped (about 6 leaves)
4 (thawed) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
sliced or shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
grated parmesan
bread of choice for sandwiches. I used ciabatta

DIRECTIONS 

Start the slow cooker on low heat. Add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes & tomato paste. Stir until combined.
Add onions, garlic, oregano & basil. Stir
Set chicken breast on top of sauce & season with salt & pepper. Cook on low for 5 hours & 30 mins.
Remove chicken from the slow cooker & shred. 
Place the shredded chicken back into the crock pot & let cook on low for another 30 mins.
While shredded chicken continues to cook, turn on oven to broil (500 degrees)
Once the chicken is ready, place bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle parmesan on the inside of the top of the bread.  Scoop chicken onto sandwich then top with a slice of mozzarella.  
Broil sandwich open faced for 3 mins. Keep a close eye because the cheese will burn quickly. 
Place bread tops on sandwich & serve immediately.
Tip: slice your sandwich carefully, otherwise it will look like this:











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