Chicken Party

Whether you are in the mood for a chicken pattie or a chicken party...this baked chicken recipe is moist and juicy goodness. Who would have thunk it?

(The term "chicken party" is an inside joke. Don't take too long trying to figure out what it means.) - Thank you

What comes to mind when you think of boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Dry, way too dry, oh...and dry some more. I swear the only time they weren't dry for me was when I either - cooked them in sauce OR on my George Foreman for 8 minutes (not one minute longer).

I stumbled on this recipe from Cooks Illustrated and thought it would be worth a try. Wow. Moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. What's not to like?

Again...an adaptation.

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup roughly chopped nuts (I happened to have cashews)
4 TB unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
1/4 of an onion, minced. About 3 TB.
1 cup panko
2 tsp finely grated zest from 1 lemon, zested lemon cut into 4 wedges.
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves (don't use dry, there is something special about fresh herbs)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup flour

Oven to 350 degrees.
Using a fork, poke thickest half of each breast 5 to 6 times. Place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and evenly sprinkle each breast with 1/2 kosher salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, while preparing coating.

Process nuts in food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Heat butter in skillet over midium heat. Cook, swirling pan constantly until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma 4 to 5 minutes. Don't burn the butter. Reduce heat to med low. Add panko and ground nuts. Cook stirring frequently until golden brown. Transfer panko mixture to shallow dish and stir in lemon zest, thyme and cayenne.

Lightly beat eggs, mustard and pepper together in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg misture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides of chicken with panko mixture, pressing gently so that crumbs adhere. Transfer breaded chicken to clean wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and repeat with other chicken.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Let rest 5 minutes.