Parmesan Chicken

Chicken is my old stand by. I always have a bag of boneless skinless breasts in the freezer. As you can imagine I have made chicken just about every way you can think of. This is defiantly my favorite at the moment . The crust is perfect... lightly crispy and absolutely delicious. Don't even think of skipping the vinaigrette! It gives the chicken a nice richness yet is still light and fresh. The salad greens on top are very good and make for an elegant presentation. Though the chicken and vinaigrette are delightful on their own!

I know it's tempting to crank up the heat, but this is one recipe you should stick to the recommended cooking temperature. You're looking for that perfect golden brown, too dark and the crust will have a bitter flavor.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 extra-large eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

butter

olive oil

salad greens for 4

1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette

-Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4-inch thick.

-Combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on a plate.

-Beat eggs and water on a second plate.

-Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on a third plate.

-Coat the chicken with the flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture, and finally dredge in bread crumb mixture. Press lightly to make sure chicken is well coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and cook chicken over medium low heat for about 3 min on each side. Add more butter and olive oil as needed to cook the rest of the chicken. Place a handful of salad on each chicken breast and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

*Based on a recipe by Ina Garten