Every blog has one of these posts — the "we're back to cooking" moment. The original 2010 entry admitted the site had drifted into giveaways and contests, and promised a return to what the archive was built on: great-tasting, family-friendly recipes with a lighter touch. Consider this revised version our way of keeping that promise.

From the archive: the post opened with a recap of that week's dinner menu, and it's worth preserving because it reads like a time capsule of healthy home cooking circa 2010:

  • Green Tea Encrusted Tilapia
  • Grilled Buffalo Steak with Herbs
  • Pomegranate Glazed Chicken
  • Walnut Crusted Orange Roughy

But the recipe that got the spotlight — the one the original post called the family's favorite — was a lighter take on chicken parmesan. No deep frying, no heavy breading, no blanket of greasy cheese. Instead: a crisp panko coating, a quick pan-sear, and a genius topping of ricotta whipped with fresh basil, all finished under a little mozzarella in the oven.

Why this chicken parmesan still works in 2026

Restaurant chicken parm is delicious, but it's usually a fried cutlet drowned in sauce and cheese. The archive version keeps everything you love — the crunch, the tomato, the melty top — while baking instead of frying and swapping in part-skim ricotta for some of the mozzarella. The ricotta-basil layer does double duty: it keeps the chicken juicy and adds a creamy, herby note you don't get from sauce alone.

It's also naturally flexible. The original used gluten-free bread crumbs and even rice-based cheese, so this was ahead of its time for gluten-free families. Use whatever bread crumbs fit your kitchen — panko, gluten-free, or whole wheat all work. Serve it over pasta (the archive suggests rice pasta), zucchini noodles, or simply alongside roasted vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 cup panko or gluten-free bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (or 1 tbsp dried)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • Olive oil and olive oil spray
  • Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
  2. Combine the bread crumbs and Italian seasoning on a plate. Coat each chicken breast on both sides and set aside.
  3. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the coated chicken about 4 minutes per side, until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan — it will finish cooking in the oven.
  4. Meanwhile, pulse the basil in a food processor until chopped. Add the ricotta and pulse until combined into a smooth, herby mixture.
  5. Spray a baking dish with olive oil. Arrange the chicken in the dish, spoon the crushed tomatoes over the top, then dollop on the ricotta-basil mixture.
  6. Season with salt and pepper, scatter the garlic and mozzarella over everything, and bake for 20 minutes — until the chicken is cooked through (165°F internally), the ricotta is bubbling, and the mozzarella turns golden.

Serving ideas from the archive kitchen

The original post served this with gluten-free rice pasta and vegetables, and that combination still holds up. The crushed tomatoes on the chicken double as a light sauce for the pasta, so nothing goes to waste. A simple green salad or steamed broccoli rounds it out.

If you're building a weeknight rotation around lighter comfort food, this pairs nicely with other archive favorites like our make-ahead chicken fajitas — another family-friendly chicken dinner that reheats beautifully. And if you're tracking portions or following a points-based plan, the baked-not-fried approach here keeps things reasonable; as always, run your own numbers with your specific ingredients, since any point value is only an estimate.

For a heartier comfort-food night with a similar spirit, the BBQ cheese meatloaf from the same era of the archive scratches the same itch.

A note on the original post

What made the 2010 entry charming wasn't just the recipe — it was the honesty. The author acknowledged that blogging "chi" had been thrown off by giveaways, thanked readers for their patience, and recommitted to recipes first. That spirit is exactly why this archive exists. The contests are long gone. The chicken parm, thankfully, is forever.