I’m back with another delicious family-friendly dinner recipe, courtesy of Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook cookbook. When I was flipping through the cookbook to get to the Pesto Presto Chicken recipe a few weeks ago I kept seeing all these recipes I made from the book when I first got it that were so good. I was suddenly craving all these dishes I hadn’t made in years because I always have a million new recipes on the agenda. I decided these Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets with an Orange and Arugula Salad needed to be pulled out of the archives immediately so here we are.

I’m so excited I rediscovered this dish because I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken for dinner. This dish has a fresh twist on your classic baked chicken cutlets by including some orange zest in the breadcrumb mixture. The chicken cooks at a high temperature to get super crispy without any frying. One quick tip is to move the cooked chicken cutlets to a wire cooking rack as soon as they are done cooking in the oven so they stay extra crispy until you’re ready to eat them.

Since I tend to cook and photograph during the day when the light is best, Matt and I eat a lot of reheated food for dinner. I was so bummed Matt couldn’t try this dish right when I made it because it definitely lost its crispiness. He still loved it, but this isn’t a dinner you will want to make ahead of time. Which is fine since it’s so quick to make!

I love recipes that are an all-in-one deal so I don’t have to worry about additional side dishes. While the chicken is baking, you make a very simple salad of peppery arugula, juicy orange segments, fresh yellow tomatoes, red onion and a little extra virgin olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper and it’s the perfect fresh accompaniment to the crispy chicken. I especially love the sweetness the oranges bring to the chicken when you get a bite of the two of them together.

I hope you all enjoy this quick and tasty dinner dish!

Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets with an Orange and Arugula Salad

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
• 2 seedless naval oranges
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound
• 2 yellow tomatoes
• ½ small red onion
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups baby arugula leaves
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Set up your breading station with 3 shallow bowls. Place the flour in the first bowl. In the second bowl, add the beaten egg. In the third bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, the Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley. Add zest from 1 of the oranges. Stir to combine.
3. Split the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have 4 chicken cutlets. Season both sides of the chicken cutlet with salt and pepper then coat the cutlet with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Dip the flour-coated cutlet into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Then place it in the panko mixture and make sure the cutlet gets completely coated, pressing panko on if necessary. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat for the rest of the cutlets.
4. Spray the breaded chicken cutlets with cooking spray then flip them over to spray the other side. Bake for 10 minutes then flip the cutlets over and bake for another 12 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. When the cutlets are done, place them on a wire cooling rack if you aren’t ready to serve them right away so they stay crispy.
5. While the chicken is baking, make the orange and arugula salad. Peel the oranges, then section and dice them. Seed and dice the tomatoes. Finely chop the red onion. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the diced oranges, tomatoes, chopped red onion and the remaining ½ tablespoon chopped parsley with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When you’re ready to eat, add the arugula, toss and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Poultry, Recipes 0 Comments

I don’t know where to start with these Greek Chicken Bowls. I know it’s unusual for me to be at a loss for words when it comes to food, but I think it stems from there not being an interesting or exciting reason as for why I created this dish. There’s no restaurant meal these bowls are based on. The recipe isn’t adapted from some cookbook I like. I wasn’t making them with anyone particular in mind that loves Greek food or anything. I was simply trying to create a healthy lunch I could meal prep for Matt and I that wasn’t anything like any of the dishes I normally make. So that’s how these Greek Chicken Bowls came to be. Super uninteresting and definitely not exciting. But what is exciting is how a healthy meal can be so packed with flavors and textures.

These Greek Chicken Bowls have a few more components than my normal prepped meals, but all the components are so simple that I don’t even mind it. The star of the dish is the marinated chicken. It took me a couple tries to get it right, but the version I landed on imparts plenty of lemon and oregano flavor after the chicken has been baked with only thirty minutes of marinating time.

I also love that I always have all the ingredients right in my pantry or fridge so I can whip this Greek marinated chicken up any day of the week. I like using chicken tenders because they take less time to bake than chicken breasts. They also have more edges to soak up the Greek vinaigrette marinade making for even more flavorful Greek Chicken Bowls.

If you would rather grill your chicken, go for it! The juicy chicken gets served alongside some lemon cous cous, a quick cucumber salad and an easy yogurt mint sauce. I’m lemon obsessed and Greek food is big on lemon flavors so you knew I had to sneak it into multiple components! You could definitely make the chicken on its own and serve with different sides, but if you’re going to make more components than just the chicken I strongly recommend you make all four components. The chicken, cous cous, cucumber salad and yogurt sauce all balance each other and bring unique flavors to the dish creating that perfect bite!

Greek Chicken Bowls

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the chicken

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

for the cous cous

• ½ cup uncooked cous cous
• 1 tablespoon packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
• Zest from ½ lemon

for the cucumber salad

• 2 cup diced English cucumber, about ⅔ of a large English cucumber
• 1½ tablespoons finely diced red onion
• ½ - 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon feta cheese crumbles
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tomato, for garnish

for the yogurt mint sauce

• 1 container plain nonfat Greek yogurt, about 5.3 ounces
• 2 leaves fresh mint, chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

for the chicken

1. In a shallow bowl or container big enough to fit the chicken, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Add the chicken and make sure all the pieces get completely coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. When the chicken is done marinating, bake for 30 minutes (22 minutes for tenders) or until they register 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer. Let cool slightly then dice and divide among the 4 containers.

for the cous cous

1. Bring ½ cup water to boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cous cous and a pinch of salt. Stir then cover, letting sit for 10 minutes. The cous cous should absorb the water and be soft. Fluff with a fork then stir in the lemon zest and chopped parsley. You can add some olive oil if you would like, but I skipped it since I was trying to reduce the amount of oil in the overall dish. Divide the cous cous among the 4 containers.

for the cucumber salad

1. Combine the diced cucumber, diced red onion, minced garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among the 4 containers then divide the feta cheese between the 4 containers and sprinkle on top of the salad.

for the yogurt mint sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Divide among the 4 containers.

Notes

This bowl is meant to be eaten cold because of the cucumber salad and yogurt sauce.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Poultry, Recipes 4 Comments