Boneless chicken breast is one of the most versatile of protein staples. You can grill, bake, saute’, poach, or slow-cook them; parmagiana, risotto, lasagna, or frittata them. The possibilities are endless! And yet, you can often find me, at 4:15 on a weekday afternoon, staring listlessly into space as I try to come up with something yummy and interesting to do with the latest package of my Favorite Fowl. On this night, it had to be quick and easy, and of course, delicious!
Success! This particular recipe is all of the above PLUS it is the answer to my long-time quest for a delicious and healthy ‘oven-fried’ chicken breast — woohoo! Panko bread crumbs, which I originally tried in this post, turned out so well, I decided to turn that idea on to some nice thin chicken cutlets. They were easy to put together, cooked up crispy and golden in just 20 minutes, and were the perfect quick meal for a busy night of soccer and karate. We made them into sandwiches on some light wheat buns, with some pesto mayonnaise to make them a little special. Score one for mom, who got thumbs up from all family members. This is a keeper!
Crispy Chicken Sandwiches with Pesto Mayonnaise
Serves 5
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken cutlets (about 5 cutlets)
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk (or substitute 1/3 cup milk that has been mixed with 1 tsp. lemon juice or white vinegar for 5 minutes)
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
5 wheat buns
Pesto mayonnaise (recipe below)
1) Preheat over to 450 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, and put in oven while oven preheats.
2) Whisk together egg and buttermilk. Add chicken and allow to sit while you prepare the coating.
3) Combine Panko, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
4) Remove pan from oven and spray generously with oil.
5) Dredge chicken in Panko mixture, gently shake off excess and place on pre-heated pan. Spray chicken generously with oil.
6) Bake chicken for about 20 minutes – until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
7) Pesto Mayonnaise: while chicken is baking, mix together 1/4 light mayonnaise with 1 T. prepared pesto.
8) Serve a chicken breast on a bun with lettuce, tomato and pesto mayonnaise.
ENJOY!
I made these tonight, and everyone loved them! Two out of three kids passed on the pesto mayo, one choosing BBQ sauce, and the other ketchup. Still, a resounding success! My oldest son’s comment: “All the recipes on her blog are good. You should always make them!”
Woohoo! Thumbs up from kids is always good. I owe Caleb a high-five, I guess 🙂
simple and delicious – perfect!! and a thumbs up from EVERY SINGLE ONE? holy cow – you’re on undiscovered ground my friend!!