So Many Dishes

What I thought was going to be a pretty uneventful storm, at least for us, turned into a pretty stressful event. If you have read or seen any of the news coverage of Hurricane Milton, you probably heard about the tornadoes the storm generated. One of the most destructive twisters touched down only about a mile from our house! It was definitely scary. Fortunately, we didn’t sustain any damage, but my heart goes out to the people impacted by this storm.

I had said in my last post that I expected our son and his family to come here after the storm because of losing power. However, their power was only off for 14 hours. So, no bonus time with our granddaughter, but Ken and I celebrated the fact that we all got through the storm okay.

Our celebration dinner was one of my favorite things to do with boneless chicken breasts, chicken schnitzel. I remember my mom making Viener schnitzel with veal when I was young and veal was more readily available. We were introduced to chicken schnitzel in Austria, and we had pork schnitzel in the Czech Republic, and I like both versions.

The recipe I use is based on a Cooking Light recipe. It goes together pretty quickly; it easily qualifies as a 30-minute entree. But my favorite side dish to serve with schnitzel, rotkohl, needs longer than that. It only takes about five minutes to cut up the cabbage and an apple, add the remaining ingredients, and bring it to a boil. Then it can simmer happily on its own.

The schnitzel is another recipe that I’ve scaled down for two. And although it calls for chicken cutlets, I make my own. I cut a boneless chicken breast “through the equator,” as I saw it described in one cookbook. I had a 10-ounce chicken breast that I sliced into three cutlets. If they are thin enough or relatively even, you don’t need to pound them. You do need a frying pan that is ovenproof. I use my enameled cast iron skillet, and feel like I’ve done weight training, muscling it into and out of the oven 🙂

Easy Chicken Schnitzel

• 12 ounces boneless chicken cutlets
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 t. granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges for serving (optional, but I never omit them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken cutlets if necessary, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place flour on a plate or in shallow bowl. In another shallow dish, mix mustard, water, and egg. Combine panko, Parmesan, and granulated garlic in a third dish. Dredge one cutlet in flour, turning to coat. Shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture. Repeat with remaining cutlets.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, sauté 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned on one side. Remove from heat. Turn chicken over; place pan in oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired. Serves 2.

Happy eating!