Pesto Breaded Chicken With Garam Masala Skillet Corn
Sounds like a hodge-podge of stuff put together and it very well might be - but none of that matters when you take that first bite.
INGREDIENTS
GROUP A: CHICKEN
4 - 5 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs
2 - 3 tbsp basil pesto (make your own or use store-bought)
Salt & pepper, to taste
GROUP B: BUTTERY SKILLET CORN
1/3 cup sweet corn niblets
1/2 tbsp salted butter
1/4 tsp garam masala
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Lime wedge
GROUP C: SALAD
1 small Persian cucumber
4 - 5 small cherry tomatoes
Fresh mozarella
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
Sliced baguette, or any rustic bread of choice
method
Tenderize the chicken breast, season it with salt and pepper, and smear it with the pesto till fully coated. Let it marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat the butter on medium-low heat in a small skillet and add to it the garam masala and cayenne pepper. Brown the butter with the spices for about 30 seconds (don’t let the butter burn!), then add the corn and stir fast to coat all the kernels in the buttery spices. Saute for 15-20 seconds, then transfer to a bowl, squeeze fresh lime juice over the corn, mix well, and set aside.
Next, pour the panko crumbs into a shallow dish and coat the marinated chicken breast with the crumbs. In the same skillet as before, heat up some more butter on medium heat, and cook the chicken on each side for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes, till it is lightly browned and completely cooked through (no pink inside when you cut it). Transfer to a plate.
While the chicken is cooking, dice the cucumber and half the cherry tomatoes. Once the chicken has been transferred to the plate, add the skillet corn over it. Add the diced cucumber and tomatoes to the plate and toss in some fresh mozzarella shredded by hand. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and fresh lime juice and sprinkle some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper over it before digging in. Serve with toasted baguette or rustic sliced bread of choice!
