Hazelnut-crusted chicken breasts with warm pear salad
4 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Jars pear puree (baby food); 4 oz jars | |
| ⅓ | cup | Granulated sugar |
| 1 | teaspoon | Minced fresh ginger |
| ½ | cup | Fresh orange juice |
| 1 | teaspoon | Salt |
| ½ | teaspoon | Pepper |
| 4 | Skinless boneless chicken breast halves | |
| ¾ | cup | Ground hazelnuts (filberts) |
| ¾ | cup | Crushed corn flake crumbs |
| ¼ | cup | Rice vinegar |
| ½ | teaspoon | Crushed red pepper flakes |
| 4 | Green onions; chopped | |
| 2 | Firm pears; peeled, cored, cut in large chunks | |
| 2 | cups | Arugula or romaine hearts; bite-size pieces |
Directions
In a heavy sealable plastic bag, mix puree, sugar, ginger, orange juice, salt and pepper. Add chicken, turn to coat; marinate in the refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours, turning once or twice.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a flat pan, mix hazelnuts and crumbs.
Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess. Dredge in crumb-nut mixture, pressing so coating adheres. Spray a rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in a flat baking dish; arrange chicken on rack. Bake for 15 ~ - 20 minutes until golden, crisp and cooked through.
Pour marinade into a medium saucepan; add vinegar, pepper flakes and onion.
Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Lower heat, add pears and heat just until pears are warmed through; do not overcook. Divide greens among 4 serving plates; spoon pears on top with a slotted spoon and drizzle a little of the warm marinade mixture over. Place one chicken breast half beside each warmed salad.
NOTES : * Third Place, 1997 Oregon Fryer Commission recipe contest Recipe by: Marilou Robinson, Portland, Oregon* Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #784 by LBotsko@... on Sep 17, 1997