Lemon Pepper Crusted Chicken

First, let me apologize for the fact that there's only one picture, and that it was taken with the camera on my phone. I'm not going to lie, I've been looking forward to trying this ever since someone mentioned a similar recipe on Twitter a few days ago. Waiting around for a food photo shoot was the last thing I wanted to do when this was plated and ready to be eaten.

Furthermore, I don't think I can quite get across how easy this recipe is. Chances are you probably have half of the stuff to make it already in your house, too. This recipe serves two but can easily be multiplied to however many you need... it's another one of those where the amount of each ingredient doesn't really matter.

Ingredients
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Approximately a half cup of Mayonnaise
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Spices of your choice- I went with garlic powder and chilli powder
Panko Lemon Pepper Bread Crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If your chicken breasts are thick, pound them out a little. I didn't have a meat pounder (I'm sure that's the official term...) at our apartment in Chicago so I just kind of hit them a bunch with the bottom of my fist while they were still in their package.
(Who says you need classy tools to cook!?)

Mix mayo, some grated parmesan cheese, and a hefty sprinkling of garlic and chilli powder together. Sorry these aren't more official terms, but use as much or as little as you like. You don't want the mixture to get TOO thick so just add a little at a time where the cheese is concerned.

Coat one side of a chicken breast at a time with a little covering of the mayo mixture and then cover in bread crumbs. Flip and do the same, then repeat with the other chicken breast.

Put chicken breasts on a slightly greased (or buttered, or olive oiled, whatever you have on hand) pan. If you have a broiling pan, these are ideal so the bottom doesn't get soggy. You could also just use a wire rack on top of another pan, or any other contraption you can come up with. We don't need to be too technical with this one.

Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes until the chicken feels firm ( or "done"- just cut one open to check if you need to) and the bread crumbs are golden brown. I put them in for 15 and then flipped them over and left them in the rest of the time on the other side. You might want to turn the broiler on for 5 minutes or so towards the end just to make them a little bit more golden, but that's really just for visual appeal.

And TA-DA! Super moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside, this chicken is ready for you to eat! We had it with a serving of linguine with a homemade alfredo and then some lemon pepper sauteed broccoli and peppers, but you can serve it with just about anything: roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, any other kind of pasta, pasta with red sauce for a "chicken parmesean" of sorts, rice and vegetables... whatever suits your tastes!

ENJOY... I sure did!

Gorgonzola Pancetta Smothered Chicken

Another How Sweet It Is recipe for you, with a few additions of my own. This combination of flavors is NOT for the faint of... mouth? There are definitely some really strong flavors, and if you don't like Gorgonzola, this may not be for you. I will say, however, that the intensity of the gorgonzola, pancetta (basically Italian Bacon), and arugula work wonders together when combined. And not to mention, this recipe let me use the gorgonzola and pancetta from that amazing little neighborhood Italian Market of ours.

You can find the How Sweet It Is Recipe HERE.

For the flour mixture, I added salt, pepper, a little bit of paprika and garlic powder, and then this Italian herb mixture (oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, black pepper, tarragon, red bell pepper, chives) and then "fried" it in a little layer of olive oil mixed with a dash of truffle oil.





After adding the gorgonzola to the top of the chicken, I went ahead and threw a lid on the pan for just a couple of minutes with the heat on medium-low to allow the cheese to really melt. I suppose you could also throw the ban under the broiler in your oven for 2 to 3 minutes to get the gorgonzola nice and bubbly, but I would recommend adding the pancetta prior to placing under the broiler. Just be sure to keep a close eye on it!

(I also threw the chicken onto a paper towel for just a minute before plating it to get any extra oil off, but this isn't really a necessary step, especially if you're serving with an arugula base.)




How Sweet suggests combining with a side of rice or salad, and I found that arugula made an excellent addition and took the flavor up somehow even more. Arugula is another really stong flavored ingredient, particularly when raw, but I drizzled it with olive oil and then sprinkled a little salt and some cracked pepper on top and found that it was REALLY good when taken in bites WITH the chicken.



And one last tip: it goes great with Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc... which is only my favorite wine, ever.

Hope you enjoy!