Breaded Boneless Chicken Breasts

If you are looking for a quick and easy and unbelievably delicious dinner, this is going to be it. Every single time I make this, I get rave reviews. Even Mr. "I Hate Chicken" loves this. Loves it.

In addition, it is a really flexible meal. You could make it by itself-- breaded chicken with vegetables on the side. It's the perfect starter for chicken parmesan. Sliced, it's a fabulous addition to stir fries and salads and it makes a killer sandwich. I think you could even use as a base for a modified Cordon Bleu. This one recipe will provide you with a lot of really incredible options and I hope you will give it a try.

 

 
Ingredients:

• 1 package boneless chicken breast filets (mine usually have two or three breasts), pound thin (1/4 inch) and cut in half if they are too large, try this or this (about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasonings, try this
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder (approximate & optional)
• 3/4 to 1 cup of a "breadcrumb" mixture (try ground nuts, ground flax seed, spelt, corn meal, rice flour, quinoa flour, oat flour, coconut flour, amaranth flour, etc. --we use a different combination every time)
• Olive oil (try this) and/or ghee and/or butter to fry chicken, you'll need enough to cover the bottom of the pan completely with about 1/4 inch, maybe less. Try less, add more if needed.
• 1 pasture egg, whisked with a little water or milk (less than a tbsp)

How To:

1. Chicken Prep: In a shallow bowl, combine the ingredients you will use for your "breading" as well as your salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, and garlic powder, if using. In another shallow bowl, prepare your egg by combining with milk/ water and whisking.  
 

 
2. Coat: Dredge chicken in egg mixture and then coat with your "bread crumbs", and ensure that the entire piece of chicken is covered.
3. Cook: Saute about 5-10 minutes per side, depending on thickness, over medium to medium-low heat. Transfer to a plate with a paper towel to absorb a little of the excess oil, if necessary, before serving.

Comments:

Chicken is always delicious this way and by using an alternative bread crumb, you do not have to feel guilty. Takes about 15-20 minutes total time (prep and cook time)—you’ll have to do two batches unless you have a ginormous frying pan. Be creative with the breading. We will typically use a combination of whatever we have available. There are many whole-grain and/or gluten-free options and I think they all are tasty with a little seasoning added. This serves about four people--with the three of us we always have a little for lunch the next day.

 

By the way, you could use coconut oil to fry this chicken, which works out great, but keep in mind, it will leave a noticeable coconut taste. That may be great if you are serving by itself, but could be less desirable if you are including as part of another dish (oh, for example, chicken parmesan... been there done that and not so great....).

***Just to get an idea of the amounts to use, for 1.4 lbs of chicken, I used 1 cup total of spelt, almond flour, and flax seed mixed with 3/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp Italian seasonings (as well as salt & pepper, probably about 1/4 tsp each). I also used one egg whisked with about 1 tbsp milk.

Made with half spelt flour and half flax seeds

 

Made with equal parts spelt, flax, and almond flour

 

This post was shared on Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Foodtastic Friday.