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May 20 2013

Walnut-Crusted Chicken

Posted by georgiapellegrini in Step-by-Step Recipes

This Walnut Crusted Chicken from Elaine seemed simple at first but blew me away with just how flavorful it was. And I just love how protein packed it is with the walnut crust and juicy dark meat. It is healthy without making you feel deprived.

To make it you will need: toasted walnuts, panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard, an egg white, and chicken thighs.

Blitz your walnuts in a food processor until they are fine, like breadcrumbs. If you don’t have time to toast them first, that is fine because they will brown in the oven later.

In a bowl combine the panko, cayenne and salt, and stir.

In a second bowl combine the egg white with the mustard. Instead of Dijon, I used a spicy coarse mustard, which was wonderful. You can get creative with what you have. Sriracha would even be great.

Add the walnuts to the breadcrumb mixture and stir.

Coat a chicken thigh in the egg white mixture on all sides.

Then transfer it to the breading and coat it well. Repeat this until all of your meat is well covered.

Place the chicken in a greased baking dish and pop it in a 450ºF oven for about 30 minutes.

The result will be a very juicy tender inside and a crunchy outside.

You won’t be able to get enough of this dish! It is so healthy and satisfying. Thank you so much to Tasty Kitchen member Elaine for this recipe. Check out her absolutely stunning website and food photography at Hungry Brownie.

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Walnut-crusted Chicken

by Elaine { Hungry brownie } on April 19, 2013 in Main Courses, Poultry

See post on Elaine { Hungry brownie }’s site!

4.33 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s) 3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5

Description

Easy and crispy walnut-crusted chicken thighs you will surely love.

Ingredients

½ cups Panko Breadcrumbs
⅛ teaspoons Ground Cayenne Pepper
½ teaspoons Salt
½ cups Toasted Walnuts
1 Large Egg White
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1-½ pound Boneless Chicken Thighs, Washed And Patted Dry
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with cayenne and salt. Set aside.

Grind toasted walnuts in a food processor until nicely chopped then combine them with the breadcrumb mixture.

Whisk egg white with Dijon mustard in a separate shallow bowl. Mix well.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Dip each chicken in the egg white mixture, then into the walnut mixture to coat. Press firmly then place chicken on the baking sheet. Repeat until you go through all your chicken pieces.

Bake until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.

Serve with rice or mixed greens. Best if paired with sweet-chili sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

Jun 1 2015

Warm Strawberry Bacon Orzo Salad

Posted by Erica Lea in Step-by-Step Recipes

One of the things I love about cooking for the Tasty Kitchen blog is that it pushes me to try out new flavor combinations. Even if I’ve never tried or heard of a certain ingredient, if someone in the community uses it in a delicious-sounding recipe, I’m much more game to give it a go.

This recipe actually contains two ingredients that I had never worked with before: orzo and goat cheese. I like to think of orzo as rice-shaped pasta—not so scary. But I’m not gonna lie, the goat cheese had me a tad worried. I had eaten it before, but I’d never been brave enough to purchase it and put it into a dish. To my surprise, it went with the flavors really well and wasn’t overpowering.

This Warm Strawberry Bacon Orzo Salad, shared by TK member Jessica, is a lovely blend of sweet and savory. The hearty, salty bacon is balanced by the fresh strawberries. The orzo adds a bit of starch and the pecans and cheese just round out the flavors.

Here are the gorgeous, colorful ingredients you’ll need: orzo, bacon (chopped), pecans, red onion, garlic, spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, basil, and salt and pepper.

Begin by frying your bacon in a large skillet. I like to use a cast iron pan for this. When your bacon is nice and crispy, remove it to a paper-towel-lined plate, but leave the bacon grease behind.

Add the pecans and fry in the bacon grease until nice and toasty. Transfer pecans to the paper-towel-lined plate.

While the pecans are toasting, prep the rest of your ingredients: mince the garlic, slice the strawberries, and chop (or slice) the onion. You could also crumble the goat cheese if you have extra time.

After the pecans are finished toasting, add the chopped onion to the pan and fry until nicely caramelized.

Meanwhile, cook and drain your orzo.

Once the onions are soft and caramelized, add the spinach and garlic to the pan.

Sauté until the spinach wilts.

Add the strawberries and orzo and give it a stir.

Season with salt and pepper and add the bacon and pecans.

Take the skillet off the heat and add the crumbled goat cheese.

Spoon the salad into bowls and garnish with basil, if desired.

Notes:
1. Don’t overcook your orzo, or it will stick together. I cooked mine a bit too long and needed to rinse it with cold water to loosen it up.
2. I love that the strawberries don’t get too cooked—just enough to help their flavor meld a tiny bit into the rest of the salad.
3. You could also use other seasonal fruits in this salad. I think blueberries would work really well.
4. Even if you absolutely hate goat cheese, you should still give this recipe a try! You can leave it out or substitute it with another cheese. I think blue cheese or feta would be awesome.
5. This salad was really best fresh. It seemed to deteriorate quickly in the refrigerator for me.

Thank you very much, Jessica, for sharing this yummy salad with all of us! If you haven’t discovered Jessica’s blog, How Sweet It Is, make sure to head over and browse through her culinary creations. This Grilled Kale BLT Dip sounds really good to me.

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