I do not eat fish. I know it is heresy for a foodie to say that they don’t eat something but there you are — fish just tastes fishy to me. I do, however, like the crispy cornmeal coating that goes on Southern fried catfish. AND I like the cole slaw and hushpuppies that are served with it. It just seems ridiculous to go into a restaurant and order a catfish plate – hold the catfish, you know?
I saw a version of this recipe on Epicurious. I just needed to make it a little more RestlessChipotle, which I think I did. The addition of beer gives it a nice, country (dare I say redneck?) flavor while the spicy mustard gives it a little kick. The short marinating time gets all that good flavor into the chicken so when it is done you have a crispy, crunchy coating on the tenderest chicken you’ll ever eat. I added some ranch dressing because … well because I wanted to.
I always get chicken breast in bulk at Costco and slice them parallel to the counter to make them thinner. This makes them cook faster, they are still plenty big for most appetites, and you get twice as much for the same price. WIN-WIN!
It really is that easy!
This doesn’t take long to prepare – under 45 minutes for sure unless you are really slow. Serve it with whatever you like for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner.
Tender chicken breast with crunchy cornmeal coating makes for a comforting Southern style dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Panko crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups stone ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/4 cup chipotle dijon or peppadew mustard
- 2 to 3 tablespoons beer (enough to get a good consistency to marinate the chicken)
- 2 large eggs
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
- 1/2 cup mild oil (I use peanut oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the Panko, cornmeal, salt, cayenne, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the mustard, beer, eggs, and hot sauce with a whisk. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts parallel to the counter to make 2 thinner breasts. You now have 8 chicken breasts.
- Place chicken in mustard and beer mixture for 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the mustard mixture and coat it with the breadcrumb mixture , one piece at a time. Shake off excess crumbs.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add 3 chicken breasts at a time being careful not to over crowd the skillet; they should not be touching.
- Fry about 2 minutes per side, just until golden.
- Transfer to two 13 x 9 inch dishes or a large cookie sheet with sides.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Bake at 350F for 8 minutes. Serve hot.
- Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Images and text copyright © marye audet 2011, all rights reserved.
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Yum! Your sides look good too, is that spinach and bacon + sweet potatoes? What kind of sauce are the sweet potatoes cooked in?
Cindy – they are roasted candied carrots.. I will try to get the recipe up by morning.. It is super easy