Donna Walsifer
its magic
Recently Whole Foods had a great special on Bell&Evans skinless, boneless chicken breasts for $2.99/lb. One can never have enough chicken on hand, nor enough recipes in which to change this blank canvas into a new masterpiece. For our Sunday supper, I found an interesting recipe on the website Epicurious for Magic Crispy Chicken. The premise is that with less than 10 ingredients, this recipe comes out very crispy. I must say that mine was not crispier than other recipes I’ve made. I did to pulse the panko crumbs finer in my food processor; perhaps that made a difference? However, the flavor was delicious.
For the recipe you’ll need an egg yolk, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, skinless & boneless chicken breasts, extra-virgin olive oil, panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), honey, fresh chives and cayenne. The other change I made in this recipe was to use regular olive oil and not extra virgin. The chicken is dredged in a coating of an egg yolk, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. Following the dredging, they are then coated with panko bread crumbs.
The chicken is shallow fried until the crust is golden brown. To finish cooking, the chicken is baked in a 450° oven for 10-15 minutes. While the chicken is baking, a honey mustard sauce is made with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, cayenne, salt, black pepper and chopped fresh chives. To serve, have the sauce set on the table so everyone can spoon some dipping sauce on their plate or atop the chicken.
This was a very flavorful dish! The Dijon mustard gives the dish a bit of tang and spiciness, delightful! My husband loved this preparation. I also made a dish of Acorn Squash with Apples. I used Granny Smith apples and craisins instead of raisins. For this recipe you’ll also need, butter, dark brown sugar, mined orange peel, nutmeg and cinnamon. I found the recipe many years ago in a Penzeys Spice catalogue. My husband enjoyed the acorn squash so much that matter he suggested this side dish for Thanksgiving.
The chicken is shallow fried until the crust is golden brown. To finish cooking, the chicken is baked in a 450° oven for 10-15 minutes. While the chicken is baking, a honey mustard sauce is made with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, cayenne, salt, black pepper and chopped fresh chives. To serve, have the sauce set on the table so everyone can spoon some dipping sauce on their plate or atop the chicken.
This was a very flavorful dish! The Dijon mustard gives the dish a bit of tang and spiciness, delightful! My husband loved this preparation. I also made a dish of Acorn Squash with Apples. I used Granny Smith apples and craisins instead of raisins. For this recipe you’ll also need, butter, dark brown sugar, mined orange peel, nutmeg and cinnamon. I found the recipe many years ago in a Penzeys Spice catalogue. My husband enjoyed the acorn squash so much that matter he suggested this side dish for Thanksgiving.
Magic Crispy Chicken
By Claire Saffitz
Bon Appétit Magazine
June 2019 issue
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 large egg yolk
3 Tbsp. plus 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 3/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 large)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions
By Claire Saffitz
Bon Appétit Magazine
June 2019 issue
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 large egg yolk
3 Tbsp. plus 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 3/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 large)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions
- Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F. Whisk egg yolk, 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. mustard, 1 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 3/4 tsp. Morton salt, and several cranks of black pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. With your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice breast into 1/2"-thick cutlets (if you end up with smaller breasts, you may not need to slice them). Place in bowl and turn with tongs to evenly coat. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add a pinch of panko. If tiny bubbles appear instantly, you’re good to go. Add remaining panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let panko cool in pan about 5 minutes.
- Set chicken next to panko and place a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet nearby. Using tongs, place a piece of chicken in panko and pat all over with panko, pressing firmly to adhere. Lightly shake off excess and place chicken on rack. Repeat with remaining chicken, spacing evenly apart on rack. Discard any remaining panko.
- Bake chicken until cooked through and breadcrumbs are deep golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Stir honey, cayenne, and remaining 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup mustard in a small bowl; season with black pepper. Add chives to sauce.
- Serve chicken with sauce alongside for dipping.
Acorn Squash with Apples
From the Penzeys Spice catalogue
Date unknown
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 70 minutes
Ingredients;
2 small acorn squashes
½ cup melted butter, divided
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 cups peeled and chopped Granny Smith or another tart apple
1-2 teaspoons minced orange peel
¼ cup raisins
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
From the Penzeys Spice catalogue
Date unknown
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 70 minutes
Ingredients;
2 small acorn squashes
½ cup melted butter, divided
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 cups peeled and chopped Granny Smith or another tart apple
1-2 teaspoons minced orange peel
¼ cup raisins
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Cut each squash in half and remove the seeds. Place the 4 halves in a baking dish, cut side down, and bake for 40 minutes.
- Combine ¼ cup of the melted butter and the brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining melted butter, the chopped apples, orange peel, raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
- Remove squash from the oven and, using a spatula, carefully turn the halves so the cut side is up. Prick the surface of the squash with a fork, and then brush the cut surface with the butter/brown sugar mixture, pouring any extra mixture into the halves.
- Fill each half with equal amounts of the apple mixture. Place the filled squash halves in the oven and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and bubbly brown.