Panko Crusted Chicken With Halloumi-Tomato-Cucumber Salad
This chicken dish can be ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish. You will need split chicken breasts, ideally. You can also use tenders, although they won’t look as elegant. I like to pair the panko chicken with a simple salad. I like halloumi cheese in this salad because it isn’t as salty as feta cheese and it retains its shape very well. halloumi cheese can be found in many supermarkets these days. If you can’t find it, you can substitute a firm farmer’s white cheese instead.
Here is what you’ll need:
For the panko chicken
- 1/2 cup of canola oil for frying
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. herbs de Province
- 1 tsp. salt (1/2 tsp. for flour, 1/2 tsp. for panko)
- a couple of rounds each from pepper mill for the flour and panko
- 1.5 pounds of chicken breast halves or tenders
For the salad:
- 6-7 Persian cucumbers, cut lengthwise and sliced or quartered
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 of medium onion, diced
- 1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
- 4 oz. Halloumi cheese, 1 cm cubed
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
You will need three shallow bowls next to each other. Place the flour in the first bowl, eggs in the second bowl (whisked), and panko bread crumbs in the third bowl. Season both the flour and panko with salt, black pepper, and paprika. Season panko with herbs de province. Make sure the spices are mixed well.
Make sure chicken is dry. Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap. Place the split chicken breasts over it and then cover them with additional plastic wrap. Pound the chicken to get a uniform thickness throughout.
Add the canola oil to a large frying pan and turn heat to medium-high.
Work in steps. First, dust each piece of chicken into the flour and shake off the excess. Next, dunk into the eggs and cover completely. Finally, place the chicken into the panko bread crumbs and turn it over a few times to get the panko coated nicely on all sides. Fry the chicken for about 7 minutes on each side. Watch the panko turn to a nice golden color.
Make the salad:
Combine all the above ingredients for salad in a large bowl. Spoon it next to the panko crusted chicken
Sarelle Plays 