Crispy Citrus-y Chicken

WHOA, two posts in a row?! And alliteration?!? That's a pretty big deal! I've realized that when work is slow it's the perfect time to update this here blog.

I have been on a cooking spree since coming back from vacation.  We escaped to Miami and on to a cruise to Cozumel for a week...where we went parasailing, did touristy things, lounged around, ate, drank, slept in, shopped, ate some more, slept some more...you get it.  I LOVE the beach, I never get enough of it.  This trip was my 3rd beach vacation this summer.  You can understand why we might be going through some post vacation blues.  My legs are finally a pretty brown color and my husband has lost his farmer's tan.  This means I only have a couple weeks to enjoy the tan before I'm back to my normal pasty white leg self and covering them up with tights and boots.

Now that you know all about my legs, let's get down to the reason we are here...a recipe! My husband and I have had our fill of take out and dining out.  Nothing beats a home cooked meal! As of late, I have been (obsessively) reading blogs about people who have inspiring and motivating stories about how they lost weight by eating better and working out.  I ran across this great blog that includes recipes, two of which I have already made, that makes eating better easy and delicious!  Last night I made her Crispy Citrus Chicken, and this morning I made her Green Eggs and Ham (substituting the ham for turkey bacon and serving it on a slice of whole wheat toast) after a really great morning work out.  Both were pretty looking, filling, healthy, and so so so good.

I of course made a few minor adjustments to the recipe to make it more personal, but you can always go back to the original recipe on her blog to get her directions and other great recipes.

Crispy Citrus-y Chicken:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
- 1/2 cup plain whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1/2 tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- sea salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- 1 egg
- a splash of milk
- olive oil

Salad topping and dressing:

- balsamic vinaigrette
- olive oil
- honey - 2 cups leafy greens (I used a mix of spinah and arugula)
- 2 tbsp walnuts
- 2 tbsp crumbled feta
- 1 tbsp dried cranberries

Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of parchment paper and pound down with a kitchen mallet, heavy skillet, your head (no, not your head, i'm kidding), or anything else that has some weight to it, until the chicken breasts have thinned out a bit.  Salt and pepper them up.

In a plate or pie dish, throw in the bread crumbs, zests, sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Give it a good mix.

In a separate dish, whisk the egg and splash of milk.

Heat up your skillet to about medium/medium-high and pour in a bit of olive oil, just enough to coat the pan.

Make a mini assembly line, and dip the chicken in the egg wash and then coat in the bread crumbs.  Place the chicken in the skillet and let it pan fry for about 5 minutes on each side.  They should cook up pretty quickly since the chicken has been pounded thin.

As the chicken is cooking, you can start on the dressing.  Combine a 1/2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp honey and 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk dressing, add greens, and toss.  Throw in the walnuts, cranberries, and feta.

Plate the chicken with the salad on top.  I served the chicken with some roasted asparagus and cherry yellow tomatoes.  Enjoy!