Yolanda's Famous Chicken

So I don't know who Yolanda is but her chicken is pretty good. We had a miscue on dinner tonight (decided to go to dinner on a Saturday at 730), and ended up at home without eating (I don't wait more than 10 minutes at any restaurant...I don't care if you are my favorite restaurant or not). So getting home with no dinner, we decided to follow our original plan and make dinner. This is what we had. It is now 845 and we have already eaten. So it is quick. And D said it was easy.

It tasted very good. The lemon made it taste summery, and without it I would have wanted a sauce. But with it, no sauce was ok.

We had with roasted asparagus.

Yolanda's Famous Chicken

Photo by ALB

The family serves these crispy sautéed chicken breasts with lemon wedges only (no sauce). Because they're so flavorful, a spritz of citrus is all they need. You can easily double the recipe to accommodate a larger group—crisp two breast halves at a time in a skillet (or four at a time in two skillets), then finish cooking the whole batch in the oven.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and 1 lemon wedge)

2 (1 1/2-ounce) bread slices (used 1 3/4 C breadcrumbs)
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon 2% reduced-fat milk
1 large egg
Cooking spray
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 lemon wedges

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Tear bread into pieces. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until breadcrumbs measure about 1 3/4 cups.

3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound chicken to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

4. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a second shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a third shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Working with 1 breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip into egg mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat evenly on both sides. Place chicken on a large plate. Repeat procedure with remaining breast halves, flour, egg mixture, and breadcrumb mixture; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add 2 teaspoons olive oil, swirling to coat. Add 2 breast halves to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and remaining breast halves. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Serve with lemon wedges.

Wine note: As the Manzones state, a shot of fruity acidity is all this chicken dish needs. You'll find it aplenty in a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, like Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2009 ($17), with its vivacious, citrusy acidity and bright flavors of tropical fruit. --Jeffery Lindenmuth

CALORIES 362 ; FAT 10.7g (sat 3g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 156mg; CALCIUM 146mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.4g; SODIUM 625mg; PROTEIN 45.7g; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 2.8mg

Cooking Light, JULY 2010

7 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)