Chicken Parmigiana - a Classic Australian National Dish in Low-Carbs Version

During my time living in Melbourne, I often went to restaurants to enjoy Chicken Parmigiana (some call it Chicken Parma). Today, I’ll share this simple classic dish with you all.

Chicken Parma is extremely popular in Australia, but originally, this dish came from Italy. So why did it become known as Australia's national dish? Is there some mistake in the information? Not at all. The origins of this dish trace back to World War II when many Italians immigrated to Australia (which was relatively peaceful and less involved in the war). Along with their laid-back lifestyle, Italians brought various famous dishes to this land of kangaroos, one of which was Chicken Parmigiana.

As we all know, Australia is a hub of cultures and is adept at embracing and enhancing foreign influences. Locals began adding ingredients like sausages, bacon, and ham to Chicken Parmigiana, making the dish more extravagant and uniquely Australian. Another step in claiming it as their own was shortening the dish's name, so "parmigiana" naturally became "parma". Consequently, under these customary practices, Chicken Parma has become Australia's national dish.

This time, Big Boy’s version of Chicken Parma is relatively simple and applies a low-carb version. Instead of using the usual bread crumbs to coat the chicken, almond flour is used as a substitute. The tomato sauce is also made with sugar-free tomato sauce. Sometimes, reducing carbohydrate intake can make you feel less burdened and elevate your mood!

Ingredients (serve 2)

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chicken breast	2pcs(400g)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	to taste
Salt	1 tsp
Ground Black Pepper	1½tsp
Dried Italian Herbs	1 tsp
Garlic	1 tsp
Egg	2 bulb
Almond Flour	​100g
Parmesan Cheese	150g
Mozzarella Cheese	100g
Sugar-free Tomato Sauce	350g
Basil (Chopped)	to taste

Steps

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1. Butterfly the chicken breast, then rub a little olive oil on the surface and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and black pepper.

2. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of Italian dried herbs, and ½ teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Mix well. Then, place the chicken breasts into the mixture, coating them thoroughly with the egg mixture. Marinate for 15 minutes.

3. Mix almond flour with 100 grams of Parmesan cheese. Then, coat the marinated chicken breasts evenly with the almond flour and cheese mixture, shaking off any excess. Set aside.

4.　Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and place the chicken breasts in the pan. Fry until both sides are golden brown, then remove and set aside (if the pan is not large enough, fry the chicken in two batches).

5. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Take a baking dish and spread a layer of unsweetened tomato sauce on the bottom.

6. Arrange the pan-fried chicken breasts in the baking dish. Spread 1-2 tbsp of unsweetened tomato sauce over each piece of chicken. Finally, sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese and 100g of mozzarella on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

7. Finally, sprinkle with some chopped basil and it's ready to enjoy!