Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens

Between birthdays, graduations, business trips, and concerts, June has proven to be a busy month for John and I, not giving us much time to cook together. We've been cooking mostly quick and simple dinners lately, and I thought this one was worth sharing. The chicken is pounded flat (if you don't own a meat mallet, go get one... beating the crap out of your dinner is so much fun!), coated in a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan, and then quickly pan fried. It's served with greens tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette... a perfect meal for the first day of summer! I used Panko breadcrumbs for this recipe to make the coating extra-cripsy, but regular breadcrumbs would work too.

Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens
from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
3/4  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
3/4  teaspoon  white wine vinegar
1/2  teaspoon  minced shallots
1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
Dash of sugar
2  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3  cup  dry breadcrumbs
2  tablespoons  grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
1  egg white, lightly beaten
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
5  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
2  cups  packed spring mix salad greens
2  lemon wedges

Preparation:

1. Combine juice, vinegar, shallots, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and sugar; let stand 15 minutes.

2. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

3. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken in flour; dip in egg white. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack; let stand 5 minutes.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes or until browned and done.

5. Add 2 teaspoons oil and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to shallot mixture; stir with a whisk. Add greens; toss gently. Place 1 chicken breast half and 1 cup salad on each of 2 plates. Serve with lemon wedges.


Makes 2 servings.


Download a printable recipe.
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Bucatini with Mushrooms

If you've never tried Bucatini or Perciatelli pasta before, run out and buy some right now.  It's such a fun noodle to eat!  At first glance it looks like a thick spaghetti, but upon closer inspection, you'll notice a tiny hole running right through the center of the pasta.  I don't know what it is about that hole, but it makes the pasta have such a wonderful texture.  This is the first time I've eaten this pasta, and I can tell you for sure that this will always be stocked in the AboveAnItalianRestaurant.com pantry! 

This recipe is from Cooking Light once again, and when Bec showed it to me, I was all about it.  I've been wanting to eat more mushrooms and learn a few staple mushroom recipes, and this is definitely going to be a staple. We got the mushrooms from the farmer's market, a crimini & oyster blend, which is where I got my new love / interest in mushrooms.  We got some portobellas last weekend and made delicious portobella burgers with avocado and swiss cheese.  Recipe to come, and oh yeah, they were delicious.

Anyway, this dish was great, wonderful mushroom flavor and the pecorino-romano cheese to top it off is a perfect accent on this meal.  The recipe calls for Bucatini, but we couldn't find any, so we got Perciatelli made by DeCecco.  It's the same pasta, as far as i know, just a different name.  The hole in these pastas must allow for more sauce and deliciousness to get into the pasta itself, because each strand was so flavorful, I couldn't get enough.  So without further ado, I give you the recipe for my new favorite pasta and mushroom dish...



Bucatini w/ Mushrooms
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/2 cup  dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)
2/3 cup  boiling water
8 oz uncooked bucatini
3 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 Tbs butter
1/4 cup  finely chopped shallots
2 (4-oz) packages exotic mushroom blend, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs dry sherry
2 oz  Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 cup  heavy whipping cream
1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp  cracked black pepper
1 tsp truffle oil
Sage sprigs (optional)


Directions:
1. Rinse porcini thoroughly. Combine porcini and 2/3 cup boiling water in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup soaking liquid. Chop porcini.

2. Cook pasta with 1 tablespoon salt in boiling water 10 minutes or until al dente; drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, mushroom blend, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in porcini, sherry, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates.

4. Finely grate 1 ounce cheese; crumble remaining cheese. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in pasta, 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup reserved porcini soaking liquid, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup grated cheese, cream, chopped sage, and pepper; toss well to combine. Drizzle with truffle oil; toss. Place about 1 1/4 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon crumbled cheese. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired.  Serves 4. (or 2 really hungry people)

Download a printable recipe here!
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