Walnut & Parm-Crusted Chicken with Vegetable Quinoa

I wasn't very inspired to make dinner tonight, and this looked fairly quick and easy, so I put my own twist on these recipes for Walnut-Crusted Chicken Breasts and Quinoa with Veggies. Both of my modified recipes below make 2 servings, since I was just cooking for my hubby and myself; simply double it if you're making this for a family or company.

Walnut & Parm-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup walnuts

2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Beat egg with a whisk, then whisk in the buttermilk. Place in shallow bowl and add the chicken breasts. Turn the chicken so both sides are coated with the egg & buttermilk mixture. Allow the chicken to sit in the mixture while you prepare the walnut breadcrumb mixture. You can just use egg whites if you're concerned about cholesterol or you want a lighter taste, but I like the added layer of flavour provided by the richness of the yolk.

Put walnuts and parmesan cheese (I just use Kraft parmesan grated cheese) in a food processor and chop/grind until a fine breadcrumb-like mixture is achieved. Then add the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt and pepper and process a bit longer until all ingredients are well mixed. Put mixture in a shallow bowl or on a plate.

Remove chicken from egg and buttermilk, allowing excess to drain off. Then press chicken into the walnut parm mixture, turning to coat the whole breast.

Now comes the "secret" to baking it perfectly. I have to credit Rachael Ray for this trick. Place your cooling rack on top of a cookie/baking sheet and place the chicken on the the cooling rack; this ensures your chicken gets crispy all around, not just on top.

Place chicken in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until coating is brown and crispy and chicken is cooked through. Serve on top of Vegetable Quinoa.

Vegetable Quinoa

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 small cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 green or red pepper, chopped

1/2 large carrot, chopped

1/4 medium white onion, chopped

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook quinoa as you would rice. I use my rice cooker, using twice as much water as quinoa. Since I was adding veggies and spices, I didn't add any flavourings to the quinoa before I cooked it, but I often use chicken or vegetable broth instead of water when I'm cooking quinoa.

As quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic (I used a garlic press) and cook to soften and mellow the garlic (about 2 minutes, but watch carefully and stir often so garlic doesn't burn). Then add the chopped pepper, carrot, and onion. I used my hand-held food chopper from Pampered Chef, which I love, but you can use a food processor or chop them by hand if you prefer larger pieces of veggies in your quinoa. You can also use any combination of veggies that you choose or have on hand. I'd try celery, red pepper, red onion, zucchini, etc. Sauté veggies until soft, about 5 minutes, then add cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir and cook about a minute longer. Add veggie mixture to cooked quinoa and combine.

Spread the vegetable quinoa on a plate, and top with walnut & parm-crusted chicken breast. Serve hot, with optional lemon wedges (I didn't have any fresh lemons but I think a splash of fresh lemon juice would taste good on both the chicken and quinoa).

Both my husband and I enjoyed this meal and I'm sure I'll make it again. What's not to like about a dish that's easy to make, tasty, and nutritious?