Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Broccolini

This is the only Relish recipe I am making this week, although I did decide to pay for a 6 month subscription. There were a couple more that I printed, but they were trumped by other recipes from other sources in the planning meeting (aka MM and I sitting around drinking coffee on Sunday morning).

This was supposed to be made with turkey cutlets, but I couldn't find any at the store and the turkey breasts came in a practically 2 pound package. That is one thing that drives me nuts about pre-packaged meat. I know I should buy the larger package and freeze what we don't need this week, but I hate thinking ahead to thaw chicken. I don't decide what to make for dinner until I get home and am standing in the kitchen. And I don't think the chicken tastes as good after it has been frozen and then thawed. So I buy the super-expensive organic chicken because it comes in smaller packages. I also like to think the chicken had a better life than the Perdue chicken, but after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I am pretty sure they didn't.

The Dijon mustard component made this chicken a little more interesting than your typical run of the mill Parmesan/panko crusted chicken. Had I thought ahead, I think a honey mustard dipping sauce would have been delicious with the finished chicken.

The broccolini was good. The Relish recipe called it Baby Broccoli with Lemon Pepper, but I don't know what baby broccoli is, so I bought broccolini and I don't think Lemon Pepper is a good description of the resulting flavor of the dish. So I am going to call it Lemon Dill Broccolini. (After doing a quick Wiki-search, I have learned that the name "broccolini" is a registered trademark of the Mann Packing Company and the vegetable's generic name is, you guessed it, "baby broccoli".)

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breasts
Adapted from Relish
Serves 2

2 chicken breasts (or 1/2 pound turkey cutlets)
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup panko
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large egg, beaten
olive oil cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat the rack with cooking spray. Brush both sides of the chicken with mustard. (I found that this didn't work so well. After you brush one side and flip the chicken to brush the other side, the mustard stays on the cutting board and not on the chicken. I would suggest putting the mustard in a shallow dish and dredging the chicken in it. Might work better.)
3. In a shallow dish combine the panko, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish whisk the egg. Dip each breast into the egg, then the panko mixture. Place the chicken on the prepared baking rack.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is golden brown (As you can see in the picture, mine could have stood another 2 minutes or so.)

Lemon Dill Broccolini
Adapted from Relish
Serves 2

1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon fresh dill, snipped
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 bunch broccolini, cut into 3 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1. In a large skillet, combine the broth, dill, lemon zest, oil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add broccolini and butter to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Transfer broccolini with a slotted spoon to plates.