THURSDAY

Butter Fried Chicken  |  Refrigerator Salad

 

Do you remember me mentioning, at the beginning of the week, that the novelty of the new school year had waned and the the reality of our new schedule was sinking in?  Well “sinking in” does not adequately describe how violently the new routine has taken over our once-peaceful lives.  A football team-parent meeting, a school board meeting, a senior college counseling meeting and a freshman, “What to Expect For Your Child’s First Year of High School” meeting has resulted in this little family arriving home after 8:00pm every night this week.  Yet, with precise planning and preparation, similar to that of a military campaign, I have been able to get a home-cooked meal on the table by 8:30pm each evening…late, I know, but I took solace in the fact that we were not eating take-out or fast food.

This evening’s “activity” was Maddie’s initial,senior college counseling meeting.  After picking Max up from football practice at 6:15pm we headed to the meeting which started at 6:30pm and lasted until 7:30.  We arrived home just a few minutes before 8:00pm and were greeted by Michael and Mallory’s smiling faces and a large glass of wine…after all, I had just spent the last hour making plans for my daughter’s departure from the nest!  I had prepared the chicken and the vinaigrette for the salad earlier in the afternoon and while Michael cooked the meat {in a skillet on the grill}, I tossed the salad…dinner was ready in twenty minutes.

Paillards {thinly pounded pieces of meat} have got to be this family’s favorite way of enjoying chicken.  Pounding the chicken breast really tenderizes the meat and, because it is thin, the breast cooks up very fast.  For convenience, I had our butcher pound the breasts, saving me some valuable time this afternoon.  Plan on making extra…the leftovers make awesome sandwiches for lunch {with lettuce and tomato} the next day.

A seasoned breading, some butter and a hot skillet is all you need for this quick weeknight meal.  I used coconut flour for our breading, making this dish gluten free.

A skillet sauce of minced shallots, capers and sliced lemons adds the perfect finishing touch to the chicken.

Butter Fried Chicken {adapted from Andrew Zimmern via Food & Wine}

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves and pounded to an even thickness of about ¼-inch
• 1 cup coconut flour
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup Panko {Japanese-style bread crumbs}
• 4 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• 4 shallots, minced
• 4 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced

1. In a shallow baking dish, mix the flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow baking dish, mix the bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, basil and cayenne. Place the eggs in a medium bowl and beat well.
2. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge in the flour, then dip the chicken in the egg, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to help the crumbs adhere. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Repeat with remaining breasts.  {At this point, the breaded paillards can be covered and refrigerated until ready to cook.  Remove the chicken from the refrigerator approximately 20 minutes prior to cooking so as to allow the meat to come to room temperature}
3. In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add 4 chicken pieces and cook until golden brown and cooked through, turning halfway, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the breasts to a serving platter and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
4. Add the shallots and capers to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon slices. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

As for the salad, it really was a concoction of what was ready and available in my refrigerator this evening…loose-leaf baby romaine {red and green}, chives, chopped bacon, cherry tomatoes and some crumbled gorgonzola.

All gently tossed with a simple mustard vinaigrette.  Fabulous!

Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 cloves garlic, pushed through a garlic press
• 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Freshly squeezed juice from 1 large lemon
• Sea salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small mixing bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and let stand for 10 minutes.  Whisk in the olive oil.

What our plates looked like this evening…

 

Now, a note regarding the absence of my post yesterday…

These  Whiskey Burgers were on our menu and I did, in fact, prepare, photograph and deliver them to my family.

But we did not like them {not a single one of us}…big disappointment!  I wanted them to be amazing so I could leave you all with a fabulous new burger recipe for the last {unofficial} weekend of summer but, sadly they were not and I cannot.  Now the cheese filling was good but the combination of ground beef and pork, not so much.

I can leave you with this recipe for what stands as our favorite burger as well as this link to a bit of hamburger trivia and 30 recipes starring the hamburger.

Happy Grilling & Happy Labor Day Weekend Everyone!