Double Take: Culinary in the Country’s Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce

Quick weeknight dinner. 

I’m always looking for a quick weeknight meal for us. I love mustard and panko, so this one was a no-brainer in that respect. But it also had maple syrup. Bender and I aren’t big on the sweet-savory combos, so I waited until he went out of town to make it. In other words, I figured there was a strong possibility I might like it, but a very strong possibility that he would not like it. I’m still on the fence about the sauce, but I did really like the chicken. And the best part? Minimal dirty dishes. Score!

Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce

Coarse grain mustard.

adapted by Culinary in the Country from Bon Appétit

4 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large egg
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon coarse mustard
1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter

Pound chicken breasts to roughly 1/3" in thickness.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, parsley and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Toss chicken in to coat both sides. Dip each chicken piece into the panko breadcrumbs, turning to coat both sides. Place chicken breasts on a wire rack and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken - cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. (If you fail to pound out the breasts you will need to lower the temperature so that the outside doesn’t burn before the chicken is cooked through.)

While the chicken cooks, whisk together broth, syrup, remaining 2 tablespoons Dijon and coarse-grained mustard in a medium bowl. (I was out of bowls so I put everything in a two cup jar, tightened the lid, and shook for 1 minute.)

Remove cooked chicken and place onto serving plates. Whisk broth mixture into skillet - boil, whisking occasionally, until reduced to about 3/4 cup - about 4 minutes. Turn heat off and whisk in butter until melted. Evenly divide sauce among the chicken.

Makes 4 servings.

Look! I followed the instructions and used a wire rack!

THOUGHTS:

Somehow I failed to read the first step. I’d read the recipe a dozen times, so I knew that I should pound out the chicken, but when I didn’t read it when making it, I assumed I’d remembered incorrectly. Oops. The first batch turned out great, but the pan was so hot that by the second batch the outside burnt long before the inside finished cooking. Oops. Follow the instructions for pounding out the chicken, and you will be fine.

The chopped parsley landed in the egg and stayed there. It did not adhere to the chicken much at all. And the chicken did not impart quite as much mustard flavor as I would have liked. But I have an idea. I want to try it again omitting the egg. And put the parsley in with the breadcrumbs. And use dried parsley. It's not worth the extra dishes (knife and cutting board) to use fresh. 

Look at all that leftover parsley. I went to the bother of getting out a knife and cutting board, and all it did was stick to the eggs. Grr. 

The sauce was just too sweet for me. I didn’t hate it by any means, but it just didn’t do anything for me. And I’m a sauce person!

VERDICT:

Keep-the-chicken-and-ditch-the-sauce: 1 vote! 


Disclaimer: I was missing a key ingredient for this dish (chicken broth), and I think it skewed my results a bit. But Tabitha had my key missing ingredient and loved it, so be sure to check out Double the Garlic for her opinion on Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce!

Quick crispy chicken with rice and roasted asparagus.