I was going to go with Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breasts tonight but for some reason I just didn't feel like it so I took a gander through some of my cookbooks and came up with something a little different. The original recipe started out as Epicure's Parmesan & Herb Mustard Chicken but somehow I veered off the path a bit, adding a marinade, changing some ingredients and then cooking it up a bit different. All I can say is "WOW", taking plain old boneless skinless chicken breasts and marinating them for even a half hour can make such a huge difference in flavour. I've become a HUGE fan of marinades the past few months, they just add so much more to your protein of choice and are so simple, plus you usually have everything on hand, so why wouldn't you!! On top of the ease of marinades is the fact that Epicure is so versatile...I can use it a million different ways (kinda like chicken) and I'm still coming up with different things to do with it...it's almost like a Jack of All Trades in the kitchen:)
Anyways, let's get back to business...tonight's dinner...somehow my mom managed to finangle a dinner/movie date with Connor tonight so it was just Aaron, January and I. Whatever Connor and Mom had for dinner tonight, I can guarantee it didn't have anything up on Chez Collver because on top of some kick arse chicken, for the first time ever I roasted broccoli in the oven with some olive oil, garlic and feta cheese and lets just say I have a whole new appreciation for broccoli. Silly me, I ate it so fast I didn't even get any pics, so you'll have to wait on that one...lol.
Crunchy Sun Dried Tomato Parmesan Chicken
(adapted from Epicure's Parmesan & Herb Mustard Chicken recipe)
For the Marinade
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes, minced
1 1/2 Tsp Dried Basil
1/2 Tsp Dried Rosemary
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Sugar
Fresh Ground Pepper
For the Chicken
3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 c. Panko Breadcrumbs
1/8 c. Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Tsp Epicure Sun Dried Tomato & Herb Dip Mix
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To start off, place the chicken breasts in either a large resealable plastic bag or a shallow dish that will hold them all in a single layer. Mix up all the ingredients for the marinade and pour that over the chicken, I even used my hands a bit to rub it in a bit (if using a dish, cover it up). Let that sit for at least a half hour. I left mine on the kitchen counter so that the meat would have a chance to relax and come to room temp.
While the chicken is marinating, preheat the oven to 400F and mix up the Panko, Parmesan and Dip Mix in a shallow bowl.
Once the chicken has sucked up that awesome flavour, take it out one piece at a time, let it drip off a bit and brush on some of the Dijon, you don't have to coat it, just give it a quick swipe/dab. Once it's been Dijoned up, add it to the Panko mixture and make sure it's well coated on both sides.
Take a large frying pan and heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and place a wire rack over top of a baking sheet. When the oil is good and hot, add the chicken pieces and pan fry them for about 3-4 minutes on each side, do your best not to peek, you want them to be a nice golden brown.
By now the oven should be ready, using a spatula, carefully place the chicken on the wire rack and pop it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Look for an internal temperature of 165F in the thickest part of the meat.
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| Heading to the Oven |
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| Now That's Some Kick A** Chicken Right There!! |
When you're ready to serve it up, carefully take it back off the rack, you don't want to lose any of that crunchy goodness, and serve it up with whatever floats your boat. We had the oven roasted broccoli and steamed then fried potatoes.
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