You’ve heard me say it here before – if you trust my judgment – you’ve got to make this chicken dish. It was SO good. I love it when I find a recipe that combines some new flavor combination – who’d have thought corn and blueberries were a match – they are when you combine them with pecan and panko-crusted chicken.
The recipe has been in my to-try file for awhile. I found it over at Charmian Christie’s blog, now called The Messy Baker. I love the photo – the contrast of the dark blueberries and the bright yellow (white) corn. We have fresh corn in our markets now – probably comes from Latin America because I don’t believe local corn is big enough yet to harvest. The corner farm stand, where they grow corn every year is about 4 1/2 feet tall right now, but certainly no corn yet.
Charmian credits this dish, which is called a Milanesa (I changed it from Pecan Milanesa to Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts, so you’d know from the get-go what it is). In Latin and South America a Milanesa just means a breaded cutlet. It’s not an Italian word, but of Austrian heritage (think: milanese, and weiner schnitzel). Anyway, the recipe comes from a new cookbook Charmian acquired called The New Southern-Latino Table: Recipes that Bring Together the Bold and Beloved Flavors of Latin America and the American South
So here’s what’s involved. Pound the chicken to an even thickness, about 1/3 inch worked for me – don’t pound the thin ends as they’re already thin enough. Set out 3 plates – one for seasoned flour, one for eggs and water mixed up, and the third for finely minced pecans and panko crumbs. The original recipe called for dry bread crumbs – I didn’t have anything but panko and they seemed to work just fine. Dip the chicken in the flour, then eggs, then pecans and fry in a medium-hot pan with olive oil (or canola – I used olive this time because I wanted the flavor) just until browned on both sides. I put this in my toaster oven, actually, at 350° for 10 minutes. I lined the baking pan with foil.
Meanwhile, I mixed up the salsa – the recipe you see below serves 6. I made it to serve 2, so I ended up improvising a little bit on the proportions in the salsa, and I’ve made those minor changes in the recipe you see. I added a bit more sweet (I used agave nectar, not honey), more lime juice (what good is half a lime sitting around?), corn from one medium fresh corn cob, and probably a few more blueberries. I also added some slivered fresh basil – only because we have a thriving bush in our kitchen garden and it’s so flavorful right now. I made a green salad, and that was dinner!
What’s GOOD: everything – but particularly the salsa – bright and tangy from the lime juice (I drizzled all the juice over the top of the chicken breasts too – if you eat it right away it doesn’t make the breading soggy. Also liked the crunchy texture and taste of the pecan crust. The chicken was just perfectly cooked through – tender and so juicy! This is a definite make-again dish – it’ll be going onto my Favs list (see tab at top). It would also make a very good company dish – you just have to do the browning and baking at the last minute, though.
What’s NOT: nothing that I can think of. It’s a keeper.
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Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Blueberry Corn Salsa
Recipe By: adapted slightly from The Messy Baker Blog
Serving Size: 6
CHICKEN:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups pecans — toasted and ground (see note)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs — lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup vegetable oil — [I used EVOO]
SALSA:
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sweet onion
1 small serrano pepper — very finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro — chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint — finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil — finely sliced [my addition: optional]
3 tablespoons lime juice — approximate
2 tablespoons agave nectar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Note: Toast pecans on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 5–8 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer them to a plate to cool completely. Once toasted, pecans can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 4 months. Chop them very finely with a sharp knife. The nutrition count includes fat from the nuts, but that’s a healthy fat! If you want to cut some of the fat, use more panko and less pecans for the crust.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Fit a baking sheet with a metal cooling rack; set aside. [I didn’t do this – I just foil-lined a baking sheet; worked fine. The rack just assures the bottom of the chicken is cooked through.]
3. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/3-inch thickness; set aside. On a plate, combine the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. On another plate, combine the pecans and bread crumbs. In yet another plate, use a flat whisk to mix the eggs and 2 tablespoons water.
4. Dredge each cutlet in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess, and dip both sides of the cutlet into the eggs. Dip both sides of the cutlet into the pecans, pressing gently so they adhere well. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the cutlets for 2–3 minutes per side, or until golden brown (add more oil as needed; reduce the heat if they brown too quickly). Transfer the cutlets to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cooked through (no longer pink).
5. In a medium bowl, combine the corn, blueberries, onions, serrano, cilantro, mint, basil, lime juice, and agave and stir until well incorporated; season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken topped with salsa. Drizzle the lime juice over the chicken as well – if you eat it immediately it won’t make the chicken soggy.
Per Serving (much of the fat comes from the nuts): 622 Calories; 40g Fat (57.3% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 139mg Cholesterol; 361mg Sodium.
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