This dish of the week is Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Scallion Beurre Blanc, Cheesy Orzo and roasted asparagus. This is the dinner menu I made at the Stack's last Saturday. Since we were in Florida, we were unable to make it to his 30th birthday extravaganza, so I offered to make him a birthday dinner. Normally I would make a cous cous to serve along side the chicken but we went with the cheesy orzo for the kids and called it "mac and cheese"!
Almond Crusted Chicken:
Ingredients
2 scallions, whites and greens, very finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine - eyeball it
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
8 pieces chicken breast cutlets, 1 1/4 pounds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, eyeball it
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup light extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 4 turns of the pan
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
Directions
Combine the scallions, white wine and 2 tablespoons cream in a saucepan over medium heat and reduce to 1/4 cup liquid, 5 to 6 minutes.
While the sauce is working, beat egg and set chicken into it. Combine almonds, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste, in a food processor and grind to combine. Cover a plate with plastic wrap to make for easy clean up after breading and pour almond and bread crumb mixture onto it. Remove chicken from the egg and coat in the bread crumb mixture.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Heat 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan, oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add cutlets and cook 3 minutes on each side, transfer to a plate and cover with foil and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Whisk 2 tablespoons cream into the sauce, a splash. Lower the heat on the sauce and whisk the butter into pot until it has incorporated. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, to your taste.
Place 2 cutlets on each dinner plate and spoon a little beurre blanc sauce down over top of the cutlets.
Cheesy Orzo:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (14 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth or stock
2 cups orzo pasta (enriched rice may be substituted)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat a 8 inch pot with a tight fitting cover over moderate heat. Add oil, onion and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Remove lid and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. You favorite fresh herbs may also be stirred into the orzo or rice to strengthen the flavor even more.
Roasted Asparagus:
To make the roasted asparagus. Preheat your oven to 420 degrees F. Cut the ends off the asparagus and lay them out of a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with some EVOO and season with salt to taste. Throw them into the oven for about 5-8 minutes.
The Verdict:
This has become my go to chicken dish and has gotten rave reviews by all who have had the chance to try it. The kids even loved the "mac & cheese" even though it was a little different from normal. This is one of our favorites. When I tell people I have a great chicken dish, this is what I make. I needed to do a better job grinding the almonds but we had slivered almonds instead of sliced so keep that in mind when you purchase your ingredients. Thankfully though, it didn't ruin the flavor of the chicken.
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