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Crispy, crusted chicken is perfectly paired with a fresh spring salad and a smooth glass of Black Box Wine. To complete the seasonal meal, finish off the evening with a refreshing fruit sorbet!
There's a line from 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' about wine that sums up some of the more pretentious aspects of wine, pretentions I've become rather acquainted with recently. "You can't drink them, Freddy, they're too valuable." "So you sell them?" "I would never sell them, they mean too much to me."
While I've certainly encountered my fair share of bottles meant almost exclusively for cellaring, it does at times take conscious effort to remember that the purpose of wine is ultimately about heightening one's enjoyment of life, as opposed to collectible status symbols or 'bottled gems' - albeit there are quite a few such vintages that merit such high regard.
To that point, one of the first things I learned about wine is that preference and palate are foremost. For example, in his book Tasting Wine and Cheese: And Insider's Guide to Mastering the Principles of Pairing, Adam Centamore related a story about his father and wine. It ran roughly that his father's favorite wine was a simple ten to fourteen dollar merlot, and that he would drink that merlot from a juice glass, and keep the bottle in the fridge for weeks at a time.
All of this, of course, as Adam explained, was vinicultural heresy…except for one very important point - the fact that this was how his father enjoyed his wine.
The story concluded that for his father's 70th birthday, Adam brought his father a several hundred dollar bottle of Merlot from one of the most exclusive labels in the world. His father's reaction to tasting the wine ran along the lines of "Meh." Adam concluded the story with, and I paraphrase, "Bravo, dad, that was exactly the reaction I was hoping for."
In other words, pretentions lose their value when they instead become impediments to enjoyment, and the sole purpose of wine, lest we forget, is enjoyment.
While planning one of my first spring dinner parties, one of my friends ended up proving precisely that point, albeit inadvertently.
While putting together the menu, I knew that we would start with the usual platter of cheese, starter meats, and bread with oil, but for what came next I wanted something a little less predictable. I decided on breaded chicken cutlets, but for a twist I decided on using both panko and chopped walnuts as the coating. I prepared this with a red leaf lettuce salad, a honey mustard vinaigrette, and crumbled blue cheese for a perfect spring plating.
To pair with the laid back setting, one of my guests suggested I try Black Box Wines, in particular their cabernet sauvignon and merlot. I'll admit, I wasn't familiar with Black Box Wines, but when I saw that they had won more than fifty Gold Medals for quality, as well as 29 Wine Enthusiast Best Buys, I was willing to become acquainted with open mind. Since they cost 40% less than comparable bottled wines, they're great for informal gatherings, and once opened they remain fresh for up to six weeks in their eco-friendly packaging.
Once my friend showed me how one properly 'uncorks' a Black Box, a first for me, we were set to go.
Panko and Walnut Crusted Chicken Cutlets Pineapple Berry Sorbet
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
For Chicken Cutlets:
- 3 lbs. of boneless chicken cutlets - pounded
- 2 cups of panko
- 1 cup of walnuts - chopped
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 eggs beaten - plus a splash of milk
- Vegetable oil for frying
For Salad:
- Your favorite salad greens
- Grape tomatoes
- Cucumber - sliced
- Red onion - sliced thin
- Chunks of blue cheese
For the Honey Mustard Dressing:
- 1/4 cup of yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 clove of roasted garlic - chopped
- 2 cups of frozen pineapple - cut into chunks
- 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 3/4 cup of heavy cream
Instructions
For Chicken Cutlets:
- Combine the panko and the chopped walnuts in a shallow bowl.
- Set up two more shallow bowls; one for the flour and one for the egg wash.
- Dredge the cutlets first in the flour, then in the egg wash and finally in the panko and walnut mixture.
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan with about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil.
- When the oil is hot carefully place about two prepared cutlets in the oil. Do Not Overcrowd the pan.
- When the cutlets are golden on one side; about two to three minutes, carefully turn over and finish cooking on the other side; about another two to three minutes; the cutlets should be white on the inside when they are fully cooked.
- The cooking time will depend on how thick the cutlets are.
- Place the cutlets on a plate prepared with a paper towel to absorb any excess cooking oil.
For Salad & Dressing:
- Prepare the salad greens in a serving bowl set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the mustard, honey, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed garlic.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Combine in a food processor the frozen pineapple, frozen berries, sugar and heavy cream.
- Process until smooth.
- Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dessert
What are some of your favorite spring pairings? We would love to hear from you!
Looking for more great entertaining ideas? Check out the Simple Entertaining Social Hub for all the inspiration you'll need this summer!
Enjoy with Love!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Beautiful pairing Catherine, I love this crusted chicken. Golden, crunchy and delicious! XOXO
Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox says
This chicken looks wonderful! I haven't tried that wine....yet. I'll definitely be picking some up soon!
shelby says
I recently tried this wine and found it wasn't bad! I wasn't sure what to expect because I'm used to local wine. It was nice to find this as it is very affordable. The chicken sounds amazing too!
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says
What a delicious looking salad. The chicken sounds delightful. ANd the pairing is perfect. I am a big fan of Black Box wines -- they were a pleasant surprise when I first tried them several years ago.
Liz @ I heart vegetables says
I love the idea of using a panko + almond crust! I might have to try this on some tofu or veggies 🙂 I bet it would even be awesome on asparagus!
Sarah @ The Charming Detroiter says
I really love your comments on wine and preference - I totally agree! It's like when it finally came out that corked wine is in fact NOT any higher quality than wine with a screw top - no need to be so pretentious people 🙂 This chicken looks absolutely perfect to pair with a favorite bottle of wine!
Meeta says
I adore recipes like this. Adding nuts to the crust is simply great for the nutty texture. Great meal and I would love to join you at your table one day 😉
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, Simple and straightforward yet elegant recipe with matching presentation! The sorbet is a nice touch that finishes the meal on a high note... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Dottie Sauchelli-Balin says
Dear Catherine,
What a brilliant idea of putting walnuts and panko together of the cutlets! I love that idea. The salad and the chicken look so mouthwatering. The colors are so delightful to look at. I am not really a wine drinker per say but this wine sounds very flavorsome. I love the Black Box. But as you said the star is a mixed berry and pineapple sorbet that looks so luscious and creamy. The combo of these two flavors must be awesome, and with the pairing of the wine, an end to a fabulous dinner party that will be remembered for a long time. Great post and thank you for sharing..I will have to try the walnuts with the panko next time I make chicken cutlets..Blessings dear friend...
Hugs Dottie 🙂
Kelly says
I've never been much of a wine snob and usually go for the $10 bottles, but I have to admit I had my reservations about Black Box Wine. I was so pleasantly surprised at how great the wine is and for only a few dollars more than I was paying for one bottle of the other stuff. #client