Crispy Sesame Panko Chicken
Spring chicken! I make myself laugh. This is a very easy panko-crusted chicken breast that has been marinating in a tangy sesame marinade, lightly breaded with panko and sesame seeds, and then baked in the oven. I serve this alongside a watermelon radish and cucumber pickled salad, fresh spring peas, sautéed shiitake mushrooms, and crispy shallots. So many lovely textures and flavors that make for a gorgeous spring bite - both aesthetically and tastily (yes, tastily is a word, check Google!) Let’s get cookin’!
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
Salt/pepper to taste
1/2-1 whole English cucumber, sliced into 1/4 inch thickness*
1-2 watermelon radishes, sliced into 1/4**
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Fresh spring peas (roughly 2 tbsp or so; can also leave these out if you don’t like peas)
5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 shallot
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving
*Do 1/2 of the cucumber (not the entire cucumber) and 1 watermelon radish (depending on size - they can be quite big) if you are making a smaller amount of the pickled slaw/salad and serving the chicken with other sides like potatoes, rice, etc.
TANGY SESAME MARINADE
1/2 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp ginger paste, can also use fresh ginger
2 tbsp lemongrass paste
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp chili powder
Salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
Begin by slicing the chicken breasts in half. Place in a large plastic bag (I use Ziploc).
Prepare your marinade by adding coconut aminos, pineapple juice concentrate, tahini, fresh ginger, lemongrass paste, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, toasted sesame oil, chili powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well and pour into the bag with the chicken breasts. Allow to marinade for a minimum of 3 hours.
Slice the cucumbers and watermelon radishes and place them in a small bowl with fresh spring peas, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Combine and allow to sit for minimum 30 minutes for a quick pickle.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Next, put panko breadcrumbs, black sesame seeds, and a good pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place next to the breadcrumb bowl. Working 1-2 at a time, take a chicken breast out of the marinade and place in the breadcrumb mixture. Coat well, flip, and coat the other side. Place coated chicken on the baking sheet and repeat this process until all chicken is coated and on the sheet. Put chicken in preheated oven and cook for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
In the meantime, sauté the shiitake mushrooms on medium high heat in a pan with the unsalted butter and a good pinch of salt. Once the mushrooms have achieved some golden color, turn the heat down to low and allow the mushrooms to cook all the way through and become buttery and delicious while you finalize the dish. Mix around in the pan occasionally as the mushrooms cook.
Heat a bit of neutral oil in a small pan on medium high heat. Use a mandolin to uniformly slice the shallot crosswise into thin slices drop into the pan. Shallots usually crisp up pretty fast in the oil so keep an eye on them. Prepare a plate lined with a paper towel. As the shallots become golden brown, take them out of the pan and place them on the paper towel-lined plate. Give them a good pinch of salt as quickly as you can to allow the salt to stick to the oil that coats the shallots before the paper towel absorbs all the oil.
Take the chicken out of the oven once ready. Place on a serving dish along with the pickled cucumber/watermelon radish salad/slaw. Top the chicken with the sautéed mushrooms and crispy shallots and some fresh parsley (and more spring peas if you love them as much as I do!). Enjoy!
