Chicken Parm with Courgetti

This dish is inspired by a recipe from Donal Skehan - I've just added garlic, because why not, and I've swapped chicken breast fillets for thighs, because I prefer the flavour. The original inspiration, though, is Chicken Parmigiana which originated in the northeast United States from Italian immigrants, and became a popular staple in restaurants serving Italian-American cuisine by the 1950s.

It's everything you want from a comfort food dish - tomato sauce from your childhood, juicy chicken, crunchy breadcrumb topping and lots of gooey cheese on the top. Heaven. The original was sometimes served with spaghetti on the side but Donal chucks the whole lot in one pan and uses courgetti instead. Lighter and fresher, it's the perfect midweek dish.

Chicken Parm with Courgetti
Serves 4-6

oil 

500g chicken thighs, cut into strips

3 tsp dried oregano 

500ml passata 

350g courgette spaghetti 

100g mozzarella cheese

75g Parmesan cheese, roughly chopped

75g  stale bread or toasted bread, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the grill to high. Heat a drizzle of oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the chicken really well with salt and pepper and then fry in the hot pan over a high heat until browned all over. 

Add the dried oregano and passata and season well with salt and pepper. Add the courgette spaghetti and cook for around 5 minutes until a little softened and the sauce has thickened. 

Put the Parmesan, bread and garlic in a food processor and blitz until you have breadcrumbs. Scatted over the top of the chicken mixture then tear the mozzarella into small chunks and dot over the top. 

Pop under the hot grill for around 5 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve scattered with basil leaves.