In this recipe, chicken breasts and a floret mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, and red bell pepper strips are coated with a seasoning mixture of Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning and then baked in the oven. It’s a simple dinner that you can pull out on a weeknight.

An easy, low point chicken dinner.

One serving of this Italian Parmesan Chicken and Florets recipe (pictured above) is just 5 green, 3 blue, and 3 purple points. In fact, the only ingredients that aren’t zero point foods in this recipe are Parmesan cheese, dry Italian dressing mix, and a little light butter… and chicken if you are on the green plan.

About the vegetables.

I chose to use broccoli, cauliflower, red bell peppers, and onions for the “side” in this chicken dinner. Feel free to add more or less of each vegetable. If you love them, add more. If you don’t love them, leave them out. Make this recipe your own. I have made this recipe with and without onion, and I liked it both ways.

The vegetables are cheesy from the Parmesan cheese and packed with flavor from the dry Italian seasoning mix. If there is a vegetable that tastes good with Parmesan cheese, it can be used in this recipe. Some vegetables that come to mind are red onion chunks, baby carrots, zucchini slices, squash slices, asparagus and fresh green beans.

An air fryer recipe.

Use an air fryer to transform this into a “Parmesan Crusted” recipe! I discovered today that I actually like this Italian Parmesan chicken better when it is cooked in an air fryer, and I think you will too.

To cook the chicken in an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400°F and cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes, or until it is fully cooked. Here is what my chicken looked like when I made it in the air fryer instead of the oven…

The chicken tastes great however you cook it, but the air fryer wins, if you ask me. I chose to use my air fryer oven this time. (Read more about my air fry oven here.) Of course, you can cook the vegetables in an air fryer too, but if you are using an air fryer OVEN, I would not recommend using an air fryer rotisserie basket. I used mine, and it was super hard to clean afterward. This is what the basket looked like after it was done cooking…

So…yeah…

In the words of my friend’s daughter, “I ten-out-of-ten do not recommend” using the air fryer oven rotisserie basket for this recipe. Wet vegetables tend to stick to the basket, so it’s probably a better idea to save the rotisserie basket for things like potatoes.

For those who do not have an air fryer, no worries. The recipe below shows how to cook the recipe in the oven!

Here is what you need:

(not pictured: cooking spray and optional onion)

2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflowerets
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 tablespoons light butter, melted
4 (4 ounce each) thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Cooking spray
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (.7 ounce) packet dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Here is what you do:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper strips, onion, and water in a microwavable safe bowl. Cover the bowl, and microwave for 5 minutes.

In a very small microwaveable bowl, place butter. Cook in microwave for 15-20 seconds, or until the butter is melted. Toss 1 tablespoon of the butter with the vegetables.

Brush remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter on both sides of the chicken pieces.

Spray 2 baking pans with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, Italian salad dressing mix, and garlic powder. Toss 1/3 cup of the Parmesan mixture in with the bowl of vegetables.

Use the remaining Parmesan mixture to coat both sides of the chicken. Place chicken in one baking pan, and the vegetables in the other baking pan. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray.

Bake both the vegetables and the chicken for 22-25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve 1 chicken breast with approximately 1/2 cup floret mixture.

Makes 4 servings.
One serving is 1 chicken breast with approximately 1/2 cup floret mixture.
One serving is 5 green, 3 blue, and 3 purple points.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Italian Parmesan Chicken and Florets

One serving is 5 green, 3 blue, and 3 purple points

Makes: 4 servings

Calories: 225

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cauliflowerets
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 small onion, diced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons light butter, melted
• 4 (4 ounce each) thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (.7 ounce)
  packet dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper strips, onion, and water in a microwavable safe bowl. Cover the bowl, and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain water from vegetables.
• In a very small microwaveable bowl, place butter. Cook in microwave for 15-20 seconds, or until the butter is melted. Toss 1 tablespoon of the butter with the vegetables.
• Brush remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter on both sides of the chicken pieces.
• Spray 2 baking pans with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, Italian salad dressing mix, and garlic powder. Toss 1/3 cup of the Parmesan mixture in with the bowl of vegetables.
• Use the remaining Parmesan mixture to coat both sides of the chicken. Place chicken in one baking pan, and the vegetables in the other baking pan. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray.
• Bake both the vegetables and the chicken for 22-25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
• Serve 1 chicken breast with approximately 1/2 cup floret mixture.