Panko Chicken with Mustard Maple Pan Sauce

Trust me, its yummers! This is one of my all time favorite recipes I wanted to share. Panko Chicken with Mustard Maple Pan Sauce. Made it Tuesday night and shot a few pics of the process. Note: pictures taken with a camera bought at a discount camera shop in San Fran are not exactly the best quality. Must buy new camera…must buy new camera. It’s on my list along with a ton of other things I’m behind on! 

Okay, back to the meal. I would cook this for dinner one night a week if my husband would let me. Epicurious is one of my favorite websites as well as its affiliate Bon Appetite Magazine. Yes, sometimes I feel like I’m cheating on Ina {aka Barefoot Contessa} but I just simply adore outside of the box ideas that Epicurious and Bon Appetite provide and hope Ina will somehow understand.

As busy as Dylan and I have been lately, cooking needs to be somewhat of a quick process all the while still allowing for me to have enough time in the kitchen for it to be enjoyable. Something about cooking really relaxes me...the chopping, the stirring, the smells, the warmth of the stove. An evening in the kitchen making dinner for Dylan is very much one of my favorite parts of the day. If anyone else out there feels that little sting of stress leaving from a hard work day, then by all means get yourself into the kitchen when you get home! {And get a really cute apron because a girl always needs to be dressed right for all occasions-even those in your own home}

Click on the below link for the ingredients and instructions. I’ll share my experience below as well.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Panko-Crusted-Chicken-with-Mustard-Maple-Pan-Sauce-355192

First up, get all your ingredients out and onto your kitchen counter. Its so much easier when everything is readily available at your fingertips so you aren’t slinging panko in the air while cooking. Set out two plates and one bowl in an assembly line fashion. Bowl in the middle. This makes the entire process flow smoothly and keeps the counter clean. Can’t beat that.

Place your skillet on the stove and begin heating the oil. I used Herb de Provence infused olive oil to cook the chicken to give it a little more umph. This olive oil came to us from Roswell Provisions on Canton Street. Adorable, chic little store filled with wine, olive oils, baked goods, fresh LOCAL produce, cheeses and other nibbly things. I use this oil in almost every dish. Its blended flavors of basil, fennel, lavender, rosemary and thyme do mighty good things to the food and to the smell of your kitchen!

	http://www.roswellprovisions.com

Whisk your egg, Dijon mustard, and parsley together so its ready for the chicken’s bath. Pour the panko onto one of the plates and on the other plate place the chicken, washed and patted dry. Salt and pepper the chicken and then go to work! Chicken into egg mixture, turn to coat, then chicken onto panko plate. Cover with panko and into the skillet! Depending on your stove temp and the skillet you are using the cooking time varies. Also, if you pounded out the meat to a thinner cut then your cooking time will be much shorter as the recipe suggests. I never do that bc I’m a germaphobe and think raw chicken juices will get everywhere…not to dissuade you though! By all means pound away with a mallet or rolling pin. Use your judgment and the fork test to make sure you’ve cooked it through. Don’t forget to turn each piece every few mins to prevent burning. The panko needs to turn brown on the chicken, not black.

And you've got crispy panko chicken!

For the pan sauce, whisk in the remaining ingredients into a measuring cup and once the chicken is cooked and you’ve plated it to rest, then add the mixture into the skillet. Get your head out of the way if you are still on medium or med-high. Let the broth mixture bubble away and then add the butter.

Spoon over chicken {I am heavy handed with this!} and serve your favorite veggies along side. Dylan’s request of course…potatoes with gravy. Mine is steamed broccoli. And well, maybe a few nibbles of potato too…strictly for balance.

Sit down at your table, say the Blessing and enjoy!