Dill is probably one of my favorite flavors. To me it has a very fresh, subtle, happy taste. But for some reason I always overlook it when I am adding spices. I was making this simple baked chicken and as I was preparing the Panko breading, I was feeling like the chicken was going to be bland and bland, because, lets face it chicken kinda lives in dullsville. Well, I’m not sure if you noticed, but I love simple recipes, but I hate bland. I was also a little tired of the typical spices and seasonings methods I have been using. Then it hit me…Eureka, Dill! Trust me, it was very, very exciting.
The little teaspoon of dill really added a flavor punch (it was more of a high-five than a punch) to the whole dish. The Dill was really enhanced by the vinegary, tangy flavors of Dijon mustard and the lemon juice in the salad dressing. Delish!
I start with about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast. I don’t really like cooking or eating large chicken breasts, so I always cut them into thinner, smaller strips. So I first slice the large breasts in half to make them thiner and then cut into strips (didn’t take a picture of this for some reason)
To bread the chicken, I first drudged through the all purpose flour, then the eggs and finally through my seasoned panko breadcrumbs (with Dill!) Sorry for my lack of pictures…I have no good excuse. So I guess I will blame it on the kids… I am sure they were being distracting or needing some sort of mothering, which is very distracting when I am taking pictures of my food prep for this blog 😉
Place the prepared chicken on lined (preferred, if you don’t have a silicone baking sheet, you should get one! They are definitely worth it) or greased baking sheet . Throw this in a 350degree oven for about 20-30min depending on the thickness of your birds. Check after 20min to see if they are done, over cooked chicken is dry chicken. While they are in the oven, make you delish Dijon dressing.
In a bowl mix together, red onions, Dijon musturd, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and a touch of salt and pepper to bring the taste around.
Cut the apple in “match sticks” This is not as hard as it looks. First quarter the apple, then slice each quarter in half, then slice downwardly. Again, this is easier than it looks (*chin tapping* maybe, I should make a video of this and post it… we shall see!). If making matchsticks is too scary, you can just dice the apple, easy peasy!
Then toss the apple in the dressing bowl so they can marinate for a little while. They get so yummy and tangy.
Take 4-5cups of salad (whichever type you prefer) and toss with the apple and dressing. Mix in some Parm cheese too. Coat evenly.
The chicken breasts are done they bounce slightly (press into them) and when they are slightly browned at the edges . Panko bread crumbs never get very brown in my experience.
Lay the Dill Chicken on a bed of the Apple Dijon salad. The flavor combo works really well together, I really hope you like it! 🙂
- For the Chicken
- 1½ pound chicken breast
- ½ cup all purpose
- 2 egg
- 2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp dried Dill
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- For the Salad:
- 1Tbsp red onion, finely diced
- 1Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1Tbsp Honey
- 2Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4-5cups lettuce (can be mixed green, romaine, arugula, spinach...etc)
- 1 Large apple (I used Fuji)
- ⅓ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Slice the chicken into manageable strips
- Place egg in one a bowl and beat. Place all-purpose flour in a shallow dish and season with some salt and pepper. Place panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and thoroughly mix in dill and a little salt and pepper to season.
- Drudge chicken in flour, then the egg, finally through panko breadcrumbs. (doing the flour first then the egg helps the bread crumbs stick)
- Lay the breaded chicken on a lined or greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30min, checking after 20 to keep from over cooking
- Mix oil, onion, dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey together. Set aside.
- Quarter the Apple, then slice each quarter horizontally then down vertically to make matchsticks (you can just dice the apple is making matchsticks is too complicated)
- Place apples in prepared salad dressing. Allow to "Marinate" for a few minutes
- Place lettuce in to a large bowl and toss with apples and dressing. Also add Parm cheese at this point too and toss.
- Place cooked chicken on a bed of salad with apples and dressing
- Enjoy!
