Monday, December 3, 2012

Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Garlic Herb Squash w/ Baby Arugula

This evening I made a really simple, but tasty dinner.  Our Publix grocery store usually has a dinner idea in each weekly sale flyer.  Of course, they usually contain wheat.  I decided to make a wheat and grain free version of their meal suggestion for this week.  I served our meal with a sour cream and chive biscuit that I made last night (recipe to come soon after perfecting).

I placed 3 boneless chicken breasts on a baking sheet and brushed the tops of them with a mixture of 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise mixed with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Next, I mixed together about 1/4 cup of almond flour, a couple tablespoons of grated Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a dash of cayenne to make "Italian herb bread crumbs".  I sprinkled the seasoned crumbs on top of the coated chicken breasts and then baked them at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes until they were done (the cooking time may need to be increased or decreased a little depending on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts).  The mayonnaise keeps the boneless skinless chicken breasts very moist and tender while you bake them.  When the chicken is done, I sprinkle it with a bit of paprika. 

While the chicken was baking, I finely julienned a few yellow squash (using my julienne peeler) and lightly sauteed them in a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet.  I then added a big handful of baby arugula, the zest of 1/2 of a fresh lemon and tossed until the arugula wilted.  I added a couple tablespoons of Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter, a few dashes of sea salt and generous grinds of black pepper and then sprinkled on about 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and tossed it all together.  The natural sweetness of the yellow squash, combined with the slight bitterness of the baby arugula, the fresh taste of the lemon zest and saltiness of the Parmesan made a delicious combination of flavors for this side dish.  I snapped a couple of photos below for you to see.  Enjoy!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so happy to find your site. Your a great blogger. I love the way you talk about how you made things....very thorough and fun!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy it. :-)