So for some strange reason I have found that since most of the time I am cooking only for myself I tend to go in more of a vegetarian direction. Kind of weird, right? There isn't same single girl manual that says,"when cooking for one only cook vegetables," however that seems to be the kick I am on. I do find that vegetables have a greater shelf life which is helpful because when you are cooking for one you have leftovers for days. But tonight I decided to make oven fried chicken. This used to be something I made on a regular basis, however I haven't had it for years.



I found this great recipe in Cooking Light that breads the chicken in panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, walnuts and rosemary, so I decided to give it a try. It is super easy, very flavorful, incredibly moist and just a great dish overall.

First you dip the chicken cutlets in buttermilk and Dijon mustard. I did experiment with a few different types of mustard, such as a sweet hot mustard, a Dijon and a coarse ground mustard (not all together on different pieces of chicken). All of them added nice flavor to the chicken and worked well.

Next toast the bread crumbs in a pan for approximately 3 minutes. Although the recipe doesn't say to toast the walnuts, I think next time I would probably toss them in the pan as well to give them a nice toasty flavor. I think this recipe would also be great if you used almonds or pecans.


Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, rosemary, salt, pepper and walnuts in a bowl. Take the chicken from the buttermilk mixture and dip it on both sides in the bread crumb mixture.

Now a few things you might find interesting about this recipe and it's ingredients:

• Did you know that buttermilk is often used in fried chicken recipes to help tenderize the chicken and also to help the bread crumb mixture to stick to the chicken?
• Did you know that Panko is the Japanese word for bread crumbs?
• Panko bread crumbs are made with bread, sans the crust. 
• Panko bread crumbs are also known for their crispier and crunchier texture, this is due to the fact that they are shaped in flakes rather than true crumbs.
• Panko bread crumbs are lighter in texture as the grease doesn't soak into them like regular bread crumbs. 

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Rosemary leaves (optional)
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.
3. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in panko mixture.
4. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.

Overall, I was super happy with this recipe. Sure I would have added more salt and maybe even some garlic powder, but those are minor recipe tweaks that can be done easily and effortlessly. As many of you know I don't make most recipes a second time, however this one may be seen again, especially on some long day after work/gym, when I just need easy comfort food.  Cheers!