Friday, August 28, 2009

When a PB&J Just Won't Cut It


9 times out of 10, if you ask Aidan what he wants for lunch, he'll pick a PB&J...anyone else sick to death of them besides me?  Well, after my 68th PB&J of the summer, I thought it was time to kick that sandwich to the curb, and make me a real lunch, just for mom!  Just last week I made my Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Sage-Butter Sauce, and hinted that there were many variations...here's my favorite for lunch.  It's not as complicated as it sounds, I promise...and it's so very worth the effort to have real food once in a while for lunch.  The kids actually ate the chicken, not on a wrap, but dipped in honey mustard dressing, even asking for seconds if you can believe it!


Pecan Crusted Chicken


Crust
2 eggs whites
2 tsp cornstarch
juice of half a lemon



1/2 cup crushed Pecans
1/2 cup Panko
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
zest of one lemon



1. Preheat oven to 450°. Blend egg whites, cornstarch, and lemon juice with a fork in a wide, shallow dish; set aside.

2. Combine bread crumbs, Panko, pecans, parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a second wide, shallow dish. Crust chicken breast by dredging first through egg mixture, then pecan mixture.

3. Sauté chicken in olive oil in a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Carefully turn with a spatula, and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking. Roast chicken just until done, about 8 more minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes, cut into strips.



Mustard Vinaigrette, Melissa d'Arabian 

Put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (a French secret!) vigorously for about 10 seconds to get a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil as slowly as possible with 1 hand while whisking as quickly as possible with the other hand to emulsify. Lay the salad greens on top of the dressing and toss just before serving.

Wrap

Use any wrap you like, today I chose a Sundried Tomato.  Layer in spring salad mix, chicken strips, feta (or any other cheese), grape halves and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Tip:  If like me, you're cooking for a large group, cook your chicken in batches.  Transfer your chicken to a foil covered baking pan, then cook in the oven.
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5 comments:

Cakebrain said...

oh gee, you're so lucky to be able to have nuts in your meals. My daughter has a nut allergy; though not a severe allergy, she's never had a PB&J. I think she'd go for some chicken and dip too (without the pecans!) It looks great!

Angela [YourEverydayMama] said...

So sorry to hear that. We have a bunch of allergies here, just no food allergies thankfully! Skip the nuts and add more Panko, she'd love it!

Kitchen Butterfly said...

Love pecans, love pecans, love pecans...nice wrap

Simply Life said...

Looks like you made a great decision to change things up a bit!

Alisa said...

You did it to me again, mama. Its almost 9:30am and my taste buds woke up with just the image of your lunch :)

btw...I LOVE the top of your blog...the photos and what you wrote is genius.

Have an awesome day!