Crusty lemon Chicken.
This recipe is from a book called Seat of the Pants Suppers. I love this book because it's made for people like me who don't like cooking all that much but want to sit down with their families for dinner. I love the name of this recipe because it makes me think of an old piece of chicken collecting dust in a corner. Old and crusty. Yumm... I should write menus for restaurants.
Ingredients:
*One Chicken Breast (about a pound) cut up into 4 serving pieces (I cut mine again because they're often too thick to cook through fast enough.
*1 Cup of italian seasoned bread crumbs (I'd use a 1/2 cup because I throw out a TON)
*Juice of one lemon.
*1/4 cup olive oil (divided)
*2Tb. butter
Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs, don't skimp on them.
Heat half the olive oil, all the butter and all the lemon juice in a skillet.
Put the chicken in the skillet. Brown one side until it's brown and crusty.
Flip it over, add the other half of olive oil and get that side all brown and crusty. Make sure your chicken is cooked through.
These breasts were awfully thick and took a while. Next time I'm going to smash them down to make them equal thickness.
We had Chase and Erin here for dinner so that affected how much the kids ate. Every kid at least tried a bite. Maddie is usually a fan but said it was too lemony.
Max liked well enough but was busy making arm pit farts at the table. Lovely.
Chase politely swallowed his bite and then ate more of the crescent rolls and the mac and cheese his mom sent along for them.
Erin also tried a bite and was enthusiastic but once she tasted it she didn't like it. She did eat the rice medley I also served. All the kids like the rice at least a little.
Logan and I love this recipe.
Extra Tip For The Lazy!
I hate grease spatters all over my black control panel on the stove. Voila!
Looks good to me -
I almost never use the stove top for frying anymore because I hate cleaning grease off ove it that much (all those nooks & crannies).
Instead I use the electric skillet we got as a wedding present forever ago and only used for pancakes. Works like a charm!
Posted by: cursingmama | April 19, 2007 at 02:03 PM
Henry ate grilled chicken in a restaurant the other night, for the FIRST TIME EVER, and now I'm all about finding some way to serve non-nugget chicken for dinner. And voila! I have all this stuff in my pantry.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Posted by: Susan | April 19, 2007 at 02:37 PM
Try this one too, lots of kids love it.
http://www.suburbanbliss.net/did_they_eat_it/2007/03/parmesan_breade.html
Posted by: melissaS | April 19, 2007 at 02:47 PM
When I first looked at the picture I thought the olive oil was a tequila bottle and I was like, "Oh HALLELUJAH this is what I'm making for dinner tonight!!!" Maybe I'll make this chicken anyway and then just dump tequila all over it.
Posted by: Rach | April 19, 2007 at 02:52 PM
Instead of smashing the chicken breasts down, try cutting them lengthwise - that is, when they're laying flat on your cutting board, put your hand on top, hold the knife parallel and cut through - making 2 thinner pieces with the same surface area. You'll need a sharp knife and a small amount of skill to avoid losing a finger, but it's not that hard and I find it quicker and tidier than pounding stuff, if less satisfying.
Posted by: JP | April 19, 2007 at 03:07 PM
I love your food updates. And I might cover my entire stovetop with aluminum foil.
Posted by: Nichole | April 19, 2007 at 04:58 PM
That looks really good, I'm going to have to give that a try. We've been having the same 5 or 6 things for dinner so long that I've started doling out PB&J just for something different.
Posted by: Lisa | April 19, 2007 at 06:15 PM
This looks delicious. I'm going to have to file this one away for myself!
Posted by: Allison | April 19, 2007 at 11:38 PM
I do the same thing with foil on my rangetop--I hate cleaning so much that I put it everywhere except the burner(s) I'm cooking on. (I know I just left a preposition dangling. Obviously I'm lazy and can't be bothered to even try to fix it!)
Posted by: beth | April 20, 2007 at 09:30 AM
I'm going to cover my whole kitchen in foil, I think.
This looks good...thanks.
spring=lemon cravings for me.
Posted by: stephanie | April 20, 2007 at 09:48 PM
Get one of these -- http://www.amazon.com/2066-Grip-Ez-Nonstick-13-Inch-Splatter/dp/B00061N0J6/ref=sr_1_5/002-6106332-4081620?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1177531407&sr=1-5
It will forever change how you feel about frying in a pan on your stovetop.
Posted by: Amy | April 25, 2007 at 04:06 PM
Looks good to me, but I'm sure my picky 10 yr. old would frown at it. How the heck did I end up with such a picky eater? I've about solved the problem though-if he doesn't like what I make he knows how to find a spoon and the jar of peanut butter and I've learned to let go of the guilt. I'm sure he'll be eating something besides peanut butter when he's 20.
Posted by: Kris | April 25, 2007 at 09:41 PM
Thank you for this recipe. I finally was able to try it tonight and the whole family LOVED it. Even my dear 10 year old daughter who has turned her nose up at almost everything I make lately, which means she's been making & eating a lot of PB sandwiches for dinner the last few weeks.
Posted by: Lisa | May 21, 2007 at 06:12 PM
WHEE! It was a success at our house too. Two picky eaters, one who'll eat most anything, and two parents who just want to eat without hearing food complaints. I made corn on the cob and some Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice in the 90sec bags.
It's been added to our regulars list. Thanks!
Posted by: Nancy | May 22, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Made this for my family...husband liked it but wondered what it would taste like with lime instead...son said it was too "lemony" but ate it all (sound familiar?) daughter had peanut butter instead (as always) and I loved it.
Thanks for a new recipe! :)
Posted by: Melani | July 24, 2007 at 01:02 PM