Caprese Style Chicken Cutlets & Zucchini-Squash Pasta w/ Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

This evening I wanted to make something that used the chicken cutlets I had in my fridge.  I enjoyed last night's Caprese Salad so much that I wanted to do a spin-off on that theme so I decided to make Caprese Style Chicken Cutlets. I had 1-pound of chicken cutlets (5 cutlets) that I breaded and sauteed until golden brown on the stove top and then transferred them to a baking sheet and layered them with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced fresh tomatoes, grated Parmesan and then broiled for a bit to melt the cheeses and then topped it with thinly sliced fresh basil leaves.  For our "pasta", I used my julienne vegetable peeler to shred 1 small zucchini and 2 medium yellow squash into spaghetti-like strands. I sauteed them in a little bit of olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes until al dente and then stirred in a couple of rounded tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto (by Mezzetta) and a little more olive oil.  I sprinkled a tablespoon or two of finely grated Parmesan cheese over it and then tossed together to make a flavorful "pasta" side dish. The sun-dried tomato pesto is very concentrated so it doesn't take much to flavor the "pasta".  I even have a few extra breaded cooked cutlets left as a base to make something with for tomorrow night's dinner. Here's a little tip/trick I always use: whenever I "bread" wheat free items and I want a little help getting that gorgeous golden brown color (like I used to get when using real bread crumbs or regular flour), I always dust my breaded items lightly with paprika while they are cooking -- it's a wheat free cook's best friend. This was a quick, simple and fresh meal that tasted just like a "restaurant quality" meal...with the only difference being that I knew exactly what was in this one.  I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe for the Caprese Style Chicken Cutlets. Enjoy!

Caprese Style Chicken Cutlets

INGREDIENTS:

Breading
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Dash cayenne pepper, optional

Other Ingredients 
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2-3 tablespoons half and half, salt and pepper)
1 pound chicken breast cutlets (about 4-5 cutlets)
Olive oil to cook chicken cutlets
Paprika
8-10 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced (about 8 1/4"-slices)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 to 10 large fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons (don't slice until ready to use)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all breading ingredients together in a shallow bowl or plate.  In a medium bowl, make egg wash by beating an egg with half and half (or cream), sea salt and pepper, to taste.  Dip each cutlet into the egg wash and then coat with breading, pressing firmly on both sides, place cutlets on a plate and repeat until all have been breaded. Lightly dust breaded cutlets with paprika (for color), if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium-high heated non-stick skillet, pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cook breaded cutlets in skillet until light golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. 

Place cooked cutlets on a foil lined baking sheet; top each cutlet with 2 slices of fresh mozzarella; bake in a preheated oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese just begins to melt. Remove from oven and turn oven to broil. Top each cutlet with 2 slices of tomato; sprinkle each tomato slice with about 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan and return to oven; broil for 3-4 minutes or until grated cheese begins to melt; remove. If desired, top with additional fresh mozzarella cheese cut into strips and return to oven to melt slightly. Place cutlets on serving plates or platter and sprinkle with sliced fresh basil.  

Extra cutlets leftover to create tomorrow night's dinner!