CRUSTED CHICKEN SALAD

One of our favorite salads ever is  chicken caesar salad but what makes it spectacular is the crispy parmesan crust on the chicken.  I got this recipe from Allrecipes com and it sound delish


The  chicken is great and don't limit to using this chicken in just the salad.  It’s also amazing over spaghetti with a simple red sauce, or tossed in fettuccine with a garlic cream sauce.  I used panko breadcrumbs to make the breading because it gives such a nice crispy texture.  Panko is a Japanese style of breadcrumb that uses crustless bread, so whatever you use it for is lighter and airier than it would be with regular breadcrumbs.

To get the coating to stick, I used an egg yolk.  You can use a whole egg, but I had some leftover yolks and found that using a yolk without the white actually adheres better to the chicken breast and means I don’t have to coat it in flour first.  I did not use salt and pepper this time because the parmesan cheese was pretty salty and our salad dressing has lots of pepper.  You should taste yours and season according to your tastes.

1 boneless skinless chicken breast- I used the store bought chicken fullet

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 TBS panko

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 egg yolk

2 TBS canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the chicken fillet in a zip top plastic bag and seal well, releasing as much air as possible.  Pound the chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness with the flat side of a meat cleaver (or use a rolling pin!).
2. Mix together parmesan, panko and Italian seasoning.  Place the egg yolk in the bag with the chicken and squish it around to coat the chicken breast.  Press the chicken into the breading on both sides until evenly coated.
3. Heat canola oil in a non-stick skillet on medium high.  When a bread crumb dropped in the oil sizzles, place the chicken breast in the oil.  Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
4. Remove the chicken and let sit 2 minutes before slicing.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.

The dressing

Here's how you do the vinaigrette. Combine 1 cup canola oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender. Blend on low speed for just a few seconds to mix thoroughly. Pour into a small bowl and add the minced garlic. Chill until you are ready to use the dressing. 

The Salad

When you are ready to make the salads, toss romaine and celery with 3/4 cup of the balsamic vinaigrette. Arrange the romaine on 4 plates, then sprinkle slice tomatoes, onion  bell pepper, brown sugar and 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans on top of each salad. followed by about 2 tablespoons of crumbled bleu cheese. Slice the chicken and top each salad with the equivalent of one chicken breast. 

This dish is great. Very easy to make and it's substantive enough to be a real meal, without being too heavy. The combination of chicken, bleu cheese and pecans sings and the balsamic vinaigrette is outstanding. I'll definitely use the recipe for that vinaigrette again in other salads. I can see why this would be a popular order at T.G.I. Friday's. 

I'd highly recommend this dish. It's easy, delicious and would be good for a lunch or dinner. 

Note from The Cook

You can used left over nugget from MCD or KFC if you are unreluctant to made the crust. It's ok.

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Ini chicken salad yang saya suka. Cukup terkenal di TGI....benda2 macam ini kalau kita nak try selalunya was2 takut isi halal haram cadi buat sendiri..lebih kurang macam ceasar salad juga, Ayam saya guba fullet ayam salut dengan Panko breadcrumbs dan sedikit cheese. Untuk saladnya gunala apa yang ada...saya masykkan lettyse argula tomato bawang besar walnut dan sedikit blue cheese. No limit for that untuk dressing guna dressing biasa. Sedap ratah ni.

Next Post - Breakfast Menu

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