PANKO AND HERB CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH TOMATO AND SPINACH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

Chicken

Ingredients

1 ½- 2-pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to ½-¾” thickness all over

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper

2 eggs

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, stemmed and chopped

2 tablespoons sage leaves, stemmed and chopped

¼ cup olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup grainy mustard

¼ cup honey

1-pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

8-ounces baby spinach leaves

1 box Near East couscous, cooked to package directions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the pounded chicken breasts liberally on both sides with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.

Scramble the eggs in a pie plate or shallow baking dish. Mix the panko with rosemary and sage another dish to create a dredging station.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet, over medium high heat.

Coat each chicken breast in the egg and then place into the herby crumbs, pressing to adhere. Place the breasts in the hot oil and cook about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. You will probably need to do a couple of batches, adding more olive oil as needed. Place the browned cutlets onto a baking sheet and place in the oven while you prepare the sauce.

In the same pan, add the onions and garlic to the drippings and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, cream, mustard, honey, and remaining ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the pan and whisk to combine. Bring the sauce to a low boil and let cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce and thicken. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook another 3-5 minutes, letting the sauce further reduce and the tomatoes to start to break down. Once the sauce is velvety and coats the back of a spoon, add the spinach and cook until just wilted.

Remove the chicken from the oven (should be 160 degrees internally). If your chicken reaches temperature a little early, remove from the oven and cover with foil. Most important that you don’t overcook the chicken!!

Serve one breast (or half if they are large) over the couscous topped with the sauce, but leaving some of the panko crust exposed so you down lose all of the crunchy goodness!! DEVOUR!!