Crispy Panko Chicken With Walnut and Mustard Crust
Crispy panko chicken, made with a panko breadcrumb, walnut, and Dijon mustard crust. Perfectly juicy, with an unbelievably crunchy coating!
Equipment
- large stainless steel saute pan or other large pan with good heat distribution
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast
- 60 grams (½ cup) plain flour /all-purpose flour
- 100 grams (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
- 50 grams (¾ cup) walnuts finely chopped, not blended
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ lemon zest
- salt and pepper
- 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil for frying e.g., canola, sunflower, avocado
Instructions
How to panko chicken
- First, flatten the chicken. Place each breast between two pieces of parchment paper and hit it hard all over with a rolling pin to an even thickness of 1-2cm or half an inch.
- Set up your breading stations. Place the flour onto a plate. In a shallow dish, mix the eggs, mustard, garlic powder, and lemon zest so it's fully combined. Finely chop the walnuts and mix them with the panko breadcrumbs in a third dish. Season each station with salt and pepper.
- Toss the chicken breasts first in the flour to evenly coat them. Then, move them to the egg/Dijon mustard mixture and make sure they are wet all over. Allow excess to drip off, then toss in the panko mixture and press it in so it is fully coated in the crust. Place the breaded panko chicken onto a wire rack on top of an oven tray.
- You can freeze at this stage (see notes section) or continue.
Time to cook
- Heat the oil in a saute pan until it is hot. Test it by tossing in a panko crumb; it should sizzle immediately. The oil needs to be about ¼ inch deep.
- Use tongs to gently lay each panko chicken breast into the oil. We want it to sizzle vigorously, but if it sounds too angry, then adjust the heat.
- Let the first side reach a golden brown color before using a spatula and tongs to carefully flip it over and fry the other side. Then, remove it to the wire cooling rack on the tray. Do not place it on kitchen paper, as it will go soggy.
- If required, keep the crispy panko chicken breasts warm in a low oven as you cook the other portions.
- Rest the crispy panko chicken for 3-4 minutes before slicing up and serving with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
You can prep the panko chicken breasts and freeze them to cook later. Layer them in ziplock bags, separated by sheets of parchment paper. They MUST be stored completely flat.
To cook from frozen, use the same process as above, but once the panko is golden brown on both sides, finish them off in the oven at 180C/355F for 10 minutes on a wire cooling rack set over an oven tray.
Nutrition
Calories: 548kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 58gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 226mgSodium: 606mgPotassium: 1010mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 4mg
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