Romano Cheese Crusted Chicken
A couple weeks ago, I went on my first trip to Disneyland in almost a decade… Man, it has been a long time. While I could talk about how amazing it was seeing the Nightmare Before Christmas version of the Haunted Mansion or the new versions of Star Tours, for the sake of this post, I am going to focus on what we ate while we were there.
Disneyland, for me, does not often bring memories of great food. I remember mediocre dishes that sounded good at restaurants that were both in the park and those that surrounded it. Disneyland is, after all, tourist central, and so, the restaurant scene generally tries to appeal to as many palates as possible, but rather than simply having such diverse offerings, each individual restaurant seems to try and make their food as generic as possible. However, one restaurant I have always like has been Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney.
Walking into the restaurant, a live jazz band played on the small stage. The singer’s voice carrying perfectly the soul of the music being played. The interior (minus the umbrellas hanging from the ceiling) great imitation of a New Orleans’ restaurant, but as always, I will take great food and drink over great décor, and the Jazz Kitchen has good food, but perhaps more importantly, a great bar.
In fact, their Sarsaparilla Manhattan was a revelation; one of the best variations on a Manhattan I’ve ever had. Man, this drink could have gone so wrong. Many root beers are too sweet. But, the bitter, almost anise flavor of the Sarsaparilla added such a great depth to the whiskey. It was awesome.
I ordered their signature dish: Jambalaya Pasta. I should have been hesitant. It was good, but only merely good. The spinach fettuccine swam in a sauce that was too loose, which did have a very good flavor of the classic Jambalaya flavors. It didn’t have quite enough tomato for my taste, nor were the shrimp seared first, merely boiled in the sauce. It was supposed to have chicken in it, which it did in minute pieces. But, the heat of the dish was right on. That made me smile.
However, my friend ordered a dish that is southern inspired, but tasted great. That’s the inspiration for this dish.
There are not many things better than a crusted piece of meat. Every culture has their version. This one, a chicken breast butterflied and pounded thin, is then crusted with both panko bread crumbs and Romano cheese, before being pan fried. Served with sweet potato mash (or my version of it), sautéed greens, and a mustard cream sauce. I was surprised by the quality of this dish in a tourist area. So, here’s my version.
Ingredients:
Chicken:
4 chicken breast filets (or two chicken breasts)
½ cup of flour
2 eggs
½ cup of Romano cheese grated
½ cup of panko bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper
Sweet Potato Mash:
4 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon of butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Greens:
1 lb. of greens (I used a combination of spinach, chard, and baby kale. Because this is a quick cook you don’t want to use collard or mustard or heartier greens. Although feel free to use another green recipe instead)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mustard Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons of Grain Mustard or other similar mustard (https://www.vitacost.com/maille-old-style-mustard?csrc=GPF-PA-Food%20%26%20Beverages-043646207587&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=043646207587&csrc=GPF-PA&mtp=srEYR84pO-dc%7cpcrid%7c97670541013%7cproduct%7c043646207587&pgrid=16877535733&ptaid=pla-547291395070&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6qS_wI7a3gIVP__jBx2KEgzmEAYYBCABEgIPofD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
¼ - ½ cup of water
½ cup of crème fraiche
Chives
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash sweet potatoes and pierce with a fork only on one side of the sweet potato. Wrap with aluminum foil and place on a sheet tray with the holes pointing up. If the fork piercing are down, the sugar tends to leak out and burn. Place in the oven and roast for an hour or until fork tender.
When the sweet potatoes are almost done, using a paring knife or boning knife, slice through the thin side of the chicken breast horizontally towards the thicker end, not cutting through all of the way to the back end, and then open it up so it is flat. Place inside a plastic bag and pound with a meat mallet until it is thin and even. Repeat with each breast fillet. When done, cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the crushed garlic clove, sauté over medium heat until fragrant. At that point, add the greens to the skillet. At first, there will be too much, but as you continue to stir them in the pan, they begin to wilt. Add more. Once all of the greens are in the pan, add in ½ tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover to steam for just a couple minutes. And then take off the heat and reserve.
In a small sauce pan, add in both mustards, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and whisk together. Add in ¼ cup of water, at first; you can of course add more later. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook the sauce until it is a sauce consistency or until you coat the back of a spoon with it. Then, remove from the heat. Add in crème fraiche and chopped chives and stir. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more of the water. Then reserve.
Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and allow to cool slightly. You will eventually peel them and place the roasted potato in a bowl with a tablespoon of butter, salt, and pepper and mash. For now, set aside, and start the chicken.
Prep three different dishes. The first with flour, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. The second dish, crack two eggs into and whisk together with salt and pepper. The third dish, add the Romano cheese and panko bread crumbs. Toss together.
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Place a large skillet on the stove and drizzle in enough olive oil to coat the bottom, heating on medium high heat. Wait to cook the chicken until when you drop a bread crumb into the hot oil, it sizzles but doesn’t burn. On the other side of the stove, set up a sheet tray with a cooling rack on top of it. This is for the finished chicken so that it rests on a rack and stays crisp. Then, begin the breading process.
Bread each chicken breast filet one at a time and fry them one at a time. First toss the pounded thin breast in the flour, then in the egg, and finally in the bread crumbs, each time making sure that it is completely coated, but that the excess is tapped off. Carefully add to the hot oil in the skillet on the stove. Cook one at a time until the bottom side of the chicken is golden brown. Turn over and brown the other side. Then remove from the skillet and place on the cooling rack on top of the sheet tray. Continue with each breast.
When done, place them in the 350 degree oven for 10 mins while you finished up the potatoes and make sure the greens are hot as well as the sauce.
Once all this is done, begin plating by placing the sweet potatoes in a pile on one side of the plate. These will keep warm the longest. Then place a pile of greens next to it. Then gently place the chicken breast and top and drizzle the mustard cream sauce over.
Serve!
