Dijon and Panko Chicken

[Arceus 1,082]

This full meal recipe takes bread-crumb encrusted chicken and roasted vegetables, and puts them together for a flavourful, filling dish. It also doesn't take much time to prepare, if you've got the ingredients on-hand, so it can be a great idea of what to do with that chicken sitting around in the freezer for the last few weeks.

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Garlic cloves
• Boneless skinless chicken breast
• Butter
• Heavy whipping cream (can sub milk)
• Dijon mustard (I always use honey Dijon)
• Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

 

1. Peel and cut the potatoes.
2. Peel, cut the tops off the carrots, and cut them into sticks.
3. Lightly crush the garlic.
4. Boil the potatoes, garlic, enough water to fully submerge, and 1 tsp salt.
5. Cook until fork tender.
6. Drain, leaving the garlic in, add butter and cream or milk, and mash. Whip instead for fluffier potatoes.
7. Keep warm.
8. Place Dijon in one plate or shallow dish, and panko in another. Mix 1 tbsp water with Dijon (don't skip this, believe me xD).
9. Coat chicken with Dijon, dredge in breadcrumbs until coated.
10. Heat oil over medium heat.
11. Add chicken and sear on either side until just slightly browning.
12. Place carrots on one side of foiled baking sheet. Toss with 2 tsp oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
    1. You can add basil, or oregano, if desired.
13. Place chicken on other side of sheet.
14. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
15. Potatoes can be garnished with herbs and spices, or green onion.

You can use other vegetables besides carrots, too. I like to roast peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Zucchini is another roasting classic. The best roasting tomatoes are the ones with a lot of flesh and less juice, so plum tomatoes/Romas, for instance, would work great. If you don't have garlic cloves available, you can just use garlic salt or powder after cooking. Taste test it so you don't add too much.

 

You can also use a variety of oils for roasting; canola is good for not having much of a taste, but I've used coconut and sesame oils, too. Sesame gives it a nice nutty flavour.

If you've never roasted before, the sweet spot seems to be around 400. Certain oils' smoke points (the temperature at which they begin to smoke and burn) can be fairly low, so be conscious of what smoke point you're dealing with based on what oil you're using. Canola's smoke point is about 400, whereas virgin coconut oil has a lower point of around 375, but I've be able to roast with it at a higher temp than that (albeit only just higher). I'd also flip the vegetables over halfway through to prevent sticking and charring. Roasting vegetables covering other vegetables can also cause them not to roast properly. If you need more pan space, foil another baking sheet and move some of the vegetables over there.

 

Be sure not to use too much oil if you're using coconut oil for roasting, because you'll get it solidifying into unappetising clumps as it cools off. A temperature gauge can be useful in making sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked (needs to reach 165F internal temp).