Chef notes
This is one of my most popular recipes from my cookbook, "Siriously Delicious: 100 Nutritious (and Not So Nutritious) Simple Recipes for the Real Home Cook," and it's also one I feed my own family almost weekly. It's always a crowd pleaser for a dinner party, but also casual enough for any random night. And, if you have leftover chicken it's great for sandwiches the next day!
Technique tip: If you don't have a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken, you can use something heavy such as a cast-iron skillet or a can of soup.
Swap option: You can experiment with different greens like romaine or spinach, and if you don't have pine nuts toasted almonds would work as well.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4 cups arugula (about 4 ounces)
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- 1/2 ripe avocado, chopped
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Preparation
1.Place the flour in a shallow dish. Place the egg whites in a separate shallow dish. Combine the panko and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan in a separate shallow dish.
2.Slice each chicken breast in half crosswise to form 2 cutlets. Place each cutlet between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to an even thickness (about 1/2 inch thick). Sprinkle the cutlets with the pepper and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in flour, dip in egg, and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, shaking excess off after each dredge.
3.Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 chicken cutlets to the skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat the procedure with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the remaining chicken cutlets.
4.Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add the arugula, and toss to coat. Sprinkle the arugula mixture with the tomato, avocado, pine nuts and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Serve with the chicken.
