Walnut and rosemary oven-baked chicken + house salad

So I kind of have a crush on Sara Forte, author of The Sprouted Kitchen - A Tastier Take on Whole Foods. My mom gave me her cookbook for Christmas, and she thought it was perfect because Sara's husband is a photographer and, naturally, does the photos for her cookbook and blog. And they cook together, and it's just so wonderful - basically, Zack and I are just like them. (Ha ha.)

Anyways. Her 'house salad' is on the cover of the cookbook and I just had to make it. It's funny because as healthy as Zack and I eat, we rarely have salads during the week. I'm big on soups and meals that can be contained in one bowl or mass, for lack of a better word. I mean, we eat a lot of veggies, but it's not very often that I am whipping up a homemade salad dressing. That's all changing. Prepare to see more salads and salad dressings. Because you really don't need to buy store-bought salad dressings. They don't taste nearly as fresh, and who know what's in them. It's never too late to switch! That's the end of my rant (and I'm a new convert too).

And along with the salad, I made a great baked chicken recipe that I've been holding onto for awhile, for a time like this. You may remember my walnut and pecan-crusted chicken breasts from awhile back, but I think this new recipe takes the cake. Or the chicken...you know. The addition of rosemary and Dijon mustard makes for great flavor, and I felt that this recipe held together a little better. Check it out.

Walnut and rosemary oven-baked chicken

As adapted from the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for chicken:

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

4 (6 oz.) organic chicken breast cutlets 

Heaping 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Heaping 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese

3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Rosemary leaves (optional, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk together buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat. Toast panko in a pan over medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine toasted panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in another shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, discarding buttermilk, and dredge through panko mixture, turning to coat. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken cutlets on rack and bake for 13-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired, and serve.

The house salad

As adapted from Sprouted Kitchen - A Tastier Take on Whole Foods.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for salad:

1 large head (or two small heads) butter lettuce (I used one green and one red/purple)

1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks (roughly, 1/2-3/4 cup)

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup large shavings Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheese (I got mine from Trader Joe's)

Ingredients for house dressing:

2 1/2 tablespoons creme fraiche

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 scallion, white part only, finely chopped

2 tablespoons good apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make dressing, whisk together creme fraiche, olive oil, and honey. Add scallion, vinegar, salt, and pepper; whisk to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Gently pull lettuce leaves from the head, making sure they are dry. Gently toss the leaves and jicama with the dressing (if saving two servings for lunch the next day, only toss half of the salad with dressing). Assemble leaves in a stack for each serving, largest leaves on bottom to create a base. Garnish each salad with a quarter of the pomegranate seeds and cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

First of all, this chicken is great. Like I said before, the rosemary and Dijon add such great flavor, and the combination of nuts and panko make for great crunch. Furthermore, the crumb coating holds together really well. A great alternative to your usual chicken breast.

Secondly, I've never really used butter lettuce before, but it has such a smooth texture while maintaining a good crunch. You could also use bibb lettuce. And given that your lettuce leaves are clean and dry, the house dressing clings on beautifully. This dressing is like a vinaigrette, but the creme fraiche brings the thinnest amount of creaminess. It is really good, and very different. Plus, I had never had jicama before; it is mild, but adds a wonderful crunch to the salad. And come on - we all love pomegranate seeds. They're a juicy explosion of flavor. Right?

Check back here soon for some pot pie action. Cheers.