let's eat: crispy chicken + basil herb salad
a perfect summer-y weeknight dinner.
I started writing a brain dump and quickly realized that the last few weeks have been filled with family, food, sunshine and not much else! I haven’t bought anything exciting outside of the rhode pocket blush in piggy (the influencers gushing over this product aren’t lying), love island has replaced reading, I traveled to San Fransisco but I spent 90% of my time at a conference. I became an aunt which was caused my heart to completely burst from love, ignore my phone and laptop even more and soak up every moment I can with my family.
What I have been doing a lot of is cooking! I’m really focusing on taking care of myself - going to my workout class, getting my steps in, going outside, taking breaks and making our meals at home. Stressful days or Friday evenings often equated to me picking up food (or worse, door dashing food). Putting in the energy to plan a couple of meals for the week and cooking even if it means we’re eating our dinner at 8pm has helped me feel good mentally. I’ve even been making sure that my coffees are ready to enjoy at home vs. grabbing one out, which makes the little moment of getting one out feel special and intentional. In other words, I’m whipping up random concoctions and thought y’all might enjoy!
Inspired by @emthenutritionist with some tweaks that make it even better (in my humble opinion lol), this recipe is pretty quick, easy, light and is filled with summer flavors - bunches of fresh herbs, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, mmm. I often feel like a dinner isn’t complete without a starch or a carb but the crispy chicken fills that void. Take a bite combining your chicken and salad - trust me. I found myself thinking about this yummy summer-y meal after and made it two weeks in a row.
ingredients
for the chicken:
2-4 thinly sliced chicken breast
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
2/3 cup panko
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs (one egg per chicken breast)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion power
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
canola oil
for the dressing:
1 plain greek yogurt
1/2 lemon
1 clove minced garlic
handful of fresh basil (3-5 leaves depending on size)
2 tbsp fresh chives
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp honey
for the salad:
green leaf lettuce
arugula
5-6 leaves fresh mint
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh chives
1 tbsp fresh dill
1-2 small basil leaves
cucumber
baby tomatoes
optional: red onion, pecans, croutons
instructions
for the dressing:
chop up the basil, chives, parsley. set aside 1tsp of parsley.
squeeze 1/2 of a lemon. set aside the other half.
combine yogurt, basil, chives, parsley, lemon juice, minced garlic and honey into a food processor or blender.
blend together!
for the chicken:
thinly slice or beat your chicken breast (if you didn’t buy a thin pack).
set up a crispy chicken station:
in one bowl, combines your breadcrumbs, panko, parmesan and spices. mix together.
in another bowl, add your flour.
in another bowl, add and beat your eggs.
dredge the chicken in the flour, then eggs, then breadcrumb mixture, until its nice and coated. set on a plate or cookie sheet.
coat the bottom of a large pan in canola oil until it goes a tiny bit up the sides.
heat canola oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
carefully place your chicken in and let cook for 5-6 minutes (or until the breadcrumb coating is a golden brown). flip over and repeat for the other side for 3-4 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
remove and top with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of parsley, lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese.
for the salad:
chop green leaf lettuce and add to large salad bowl.
add in a bit of arugula.
chop mint, parsley, chives, dill, basil, cucumber, and tomato and combine.
add optional ingredients like red onion, pecans, or croutons - whatever your heart desires!
top with herb dressing and mix.
Serve crispy chicken paired with basil herb salad and enjoy!
Here’s my favorite kitchen goodies shown in this post:
french cutting board | gingham kitchen towels | beast blender | plates | bowls | knife
Let me know what you think or any tweaks that you make! I’ll try to keep sharing what I whip up because nothing beats making a great summer meal for yourself or your loved ones. Hope you all are doing great!
x, em
Yarm!