Panko Chicken with Broccoli and Rice

So on my way to Irvine for my Fulbright interview I decided I needed some magazines for the plane ride in case I got bored. Of course by magazines for entertainment I mean food magazines, what else would entertain me. This next recipe is adapted from and courtesy of Bon Appetite, the October 2009 issue I believe. It is a breaded chicken recipe and is really quick, easy and delicious. I have even made it twice now.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup of chopped Italian Parsley (It is also called flat leafed parsley, and it is not the parsley that is scrunched up and looks like the garnish you get on plates at restaurants.)
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (I just used deli mustard.)
1 egg
1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs) If I can find them in Missouri you can find them in CA.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

1 head of broccoli

1 cup of rice
2 cups water

Serves 4

This is random after so many recipes with chicken but I realized Tammy and I have not said this yet. If you are cooking with frozen chicken it is ideal to take the chicken out of the freezer around lunch and place in the sink to thaw. If you cannot do that the take it out the night before and place it in the refrigerator. Worst comes to worst you can place it in a bowl of warm water about an hour and a half before you want to cook. This just isn't ideal because it is not the healthiest way to thaw chicken because it breads bacteria more easily as well as thaws the chicken unevenly but I still do it all the time.

First take your chicken breasts and cut them in half horizontally, so the shorter way. Then place all of them in a big ziplock bag or taking turns put one in a smaller ziplock. Take a pot and smash them till they are about a 1/2 inch thick. Technically you should use a meat tenderizer (which is a wooden mallet) or a rolling pin but my father and I have both discovered the quick nature of a big heavy pot for this task. Its great at home because my dad puts the chicken on the floor to do it and then you hear this giant crash. Anyways, here is what the chicken should look like afterwords.


Then combine your "coating" for the chicken. That is take your chopped parsley, your egg, and the 2 teaspoons of mustard and combine it in a big bowl. Mix it so the egg is broken, like you are making scrambled eggs with this stuff. Then add the chicken and completely coat the pieces.



Then chop your broccoli into bite size pieces. There is a picture below. Place it in a pot and fill it with water so that way the broccoli is at least floating in the water, probably put at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water below the broccoli so that way when the water boils it does not boil off leaving the broccoli on the bottom of the pan. You don't want a ton of water in the pot though otherwise it takes forever to boil. Put on the stove over medium high heat.



Now is also a good time to start your rice since that takes on average about 15 minutes to cook. If boiling on the stove then you need 1 cup of rice and two cups of water. A nice thing to remember is that the never fail ratio for rice is 1:2 with the rice on the left and the water on the right. Place that in a pot and put on medium high-high heat. High heat means turn it down once it starts to boil.

Then place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil heat bread your chicken. Take in out of the bowl one at a time and place in the Japanese bread crumbs, the panko. Turn over so that way as much of the panko as possible sticks to it. It is easy to do this on a large plate. You probably cant do this to all of the chicken at once unless you move the chicken some where else. So once you have fit as much chicken as possible and covered it with panko on that plate put that chicken in your skillet. The oil should be hot now. Cook the chicken about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. You want the panko to be nice and golden on each side. Once the chicken pieces are cooked through remove from the heat and place them on another plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.



Then check your broccoli and rice. Turn the rice down if it is starting to foam to the top. Stir it as well to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. The broccoli should cook about 5 minutes from the time the water starts to boil. This way it will still be crunchy. A fork should go easily in it but the broccoli should not be falling apart or mushy, granted you can cook it longer if you like it like that. Once it is cooked to your liking, strain it with a strainer or by using the pots lid to keep the broccoli in the pot while pouring out the water. This is what my broccoli looked like.


Also while your chicken is still cooking combine the chicken broth, syrup, salt, and the rest of the mustard in a small bowl or a measuring cup and wisk it till the mustard is no longer in clumps. Once the chicken is all cooked. Add the syrup mixture to the pan.


Once the mixture has reduced to about 3/4 of a cup, so basically cook it for about 4 -5 minutes so some of the liquid cooks off and it gets thicker, add 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted pour the sauce into a small bowl and the chicken is ready. Check the rice as it should be done. Keep an eye on it from once the first batch of chicken is done. Some people like wet rice and some people like completely dry rice. I like to cook mine until it is still slightly wet and then take it off the heat, stir it, and place the lid back on. This way the rice still cooks a little since it is in a hot pot, but the steam helps to get the stuck rice off the bottom of the pan. Once everything is done place on plates and eat.

Here we go: