MVP

In my opinion, chicken is one of the most versatile meats. Or poultry, Most Versatile Poultry, if you like.

You can dress it up or dress it down, brine it, bake it, fry it, stuff it; the possibilities are endless!

This weekend Military Man and I went on a little trip to visit his family. And I managed to convince him that a trip to Trader Joe’s was in order (and his sister-in-law totally agreed) 🙂

Saturday night we whipped up Parmesan chicken (following Giada’s recipe) and made spice cake with cream cheese icing. Talk about a delicious dinner! I didn’t take any photos cause I was too busy chowing down. It was so nice to be able to just relax and hang out with great company! We’re going to try and make it a more regular event.

But I digress, the chicken recipe I will be sharing today involves a fantastic ingredient…Panko bread crumbs! We stopped at The Fresh Market and I grabbed some up along with one lovely Meyer Lemon. This is so easy and….you guessed it…versatile!

Flax & Panko Breaded Chicken Breasts

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-4 boneless skinless thin sliced chicken breasts

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp pepper

-2 eggs

-2 TB ground flax

-1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In 1 bowl whisk eggs, in another mix the panko, flax, and saltNpepper.

Dip chicken breasts into egg mixture and then put them into the bread crumb bowl and coat.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. (I am adding the cooking spray suggestion now because when I made this I did not spray the foil…and the results could’ve been better!)

Pop those bad boys in the oven at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

(I cooked mine for 35 minutes and when I pulled them out I nuked them for 1 minute in the microwave, cause I’m paranoid like that)

The chicken was juicy and tender….with a little bit of crunch! I’m betting adding garlic powder to the batter would be awesome…I’ll test it out another time.

The best thing about this recipe is the versatility (word du jour I’m tellin’ ya!) You can cut the chicken into strips and make chicken tenders, dip in ketchup or mustard, top with marinara and cheese for a twist on chicken parmesan. Or you can do what I did and make this fantastic glaze.

Maple Mustard Glaze

Serves 2

-1 3/4 TB maple syrup

-1/2 tsp mustard powder

-1/4 tsp yellow mustard (I used French’s)

-1/4 tsp lemon juice

– pinch of salt and pepper

Mix the maple syrup and mustard powder in a small bowl and microwave for 10 seconds (this will help the powder dissolve into the maple syrup) Then add the yellow mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle over the chicken.

**This glaze would also be delicious on pork loin!!**

I gobbled mine up with corn and peas on the side…and a little extra glaze. This was a light and healthy meal that was easy and fast to whip up! The glaze starts sweet but definitely has a spicy kick (putting the POW in powder!) Similar to honey mustard, but lacking the floral sweetness that is honey. This glaze is all about feisty flavor, enjoy!

And I have 3 more pieces for 3 more meals! I’m all about making enough to have leftovers and figuring out how to revamp leftovers is one of life’s little joys!

Hope you have a great rest of your week!

If you try this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think! What is your favorite poultry? Do you think any others are more versatile than my dearest chicken?

Bon appetit!

-Brittany