What do you do when you make way too much vodka sauce for your son’s football spaghetti feed? Even with giving 8 cups away to your Aunt as a thank you to her for letting you borrow her big pots and warmers….you get creative with left overs! I can’t ever bring myself to throw this sauce away. Even though technically you can freeze vodka sauce, it never tastes the same as fresh made. So, instead, I used it in several different low carb dinners through the week. I made 4 1/2 pounds of an “un-breaded” version of chicken parmesan that lasted two nights. And then I made a “hearty” seafood vegetable bisque with it another evening, that also lasted two nights.
Vodka Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 TBS butter
- ¼ small sweet onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes *optional
- ¼ cup vodka
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups of red sauce from meatball recipe or additional canned crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat butter, add diced onion and garlic, sauté for 4-6 minutes.
- Add vodka, simmer to reduce, about 4-6 minutes.
- Add heavy whipping cream, bring to a simmer and turn heat down to low.
- Be sure not to over cook cream sauce.
- Add crushed tomatoes and Italian red sauce (if you do not have any add additional crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce).
- Stir in fresh basil.
- Cook on low for 20 minutes.
Notes
This recipe makes 8-1 cup servings. Calories per serving: 255; Fat per serving: 20g; Carbs per serving: 16g; Protein per serving: 4g
Nutrition
Calories: 255kcal
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Low-Carb Chicken Parmesan
This chicken parmesan is not breaded, but still has all the great flavor of traditional chicken parmesan. I make mine with my homemade Vodka Sauce. But you could also use my Italian Red Sauce with this. This recipe makes about 10 -6 oz. servings.
Equipment
Cast iron skillet
9X13 Baking Pan
9×9 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 4 lbs raw chicken breast sliced thin like a cutlet and tenderized
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS butter
- 4 garlic cloves
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups homemade vodka sauce See recipe below
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 3/4 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Tenderizing Chicken
- Thinly slice chicken breast like a cutlet, tenderize, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
Prepping Cast Iron Skillet
- Place olive oil, butter, and garlic in large cast iron skillet. Heat on medium heat to bubbling.
Frying Chicken
- Place as much chicken as you can fit in the hot skillet. Brown on both sides.
- When finished browning on both sides, place on a paper towel lined plate to rest. Place the additional prepped chicken in the skillet repeating steps until all the chicken is cooked.
Preparing for Baking
- Place 3/4 cup of premade vodka sauce (recipe to follow) in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish (I had to also use an additional 9×9 baking dish).
- Place chicken on vodka sauce in a single layer. Cover chicken with 3/4 cup vodka sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 min. I also broil the top for about 2 min because I like my cheese crispy.
- Let rest for 5 min. Heat any additional left over vodka sauce to add additional to chicken when serving. Serve along spaghetti squash or zoodles. Or with your favorite side veggie or salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 6oz.Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 6.3gProtein: 45gFat: 21.4gSaturated Fat: 9.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.4gCholesterol: 131.2mgSodium: 702.2mgPotassium: 455.3mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1.9g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
