With wholesale clubs like BJ’s, it doesn’t make sense to buy pre-breaded chicken. I buy 10-lb bags of boneless, skinless chicken breast for just over $20.00. Compare this homemade breaded chicken salad to the $10 options at restaurants and you’ll wonder why you’re paying so much when you go out.

The biggest issue in the kitchen is likely time, followed by cleanup. In an effort to instill the simplicity of basic meals in home cooks abroad, I offer up some key tips on making breaded chicken in little time and less mess.

DEFROSTING:
Stop using the microwave - it actually starts to cook the chicken. And don’t leave the meat out all day - that does nothing but attract bacteria. Instead, place frozen chicken breasts in a plastic zip bag and drop it in a bowl of room temperature tap water. Defrost time runs about half an hour.

CUTTING:
First, save the defrosting bag. Use it to hold fatty scraps so you can seal it before tossing them in the trash. This will cut down on that putrid smell of raw meat lingering in the can, and cut down the spread of more bacteria.

Raw chicken contamination is a serious issue, so I wear vinyl, disposable gloves. Make sure you use a cutting board just for chicken (I use the off side of a thick plastic board).

Be sure to use a sharp knife! To make life easier on your guests, cut the chicken into bit-size cubes before breading and baking. Eating salad with a knife can be a nightmare.

BREADING:
I use butter instead of egg when I bread chicken for salads. It traps more moisture in the meat and adds additional flavor.

To serve four:

1-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup salted butter
2-1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Season-All seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Mix the breadcrumbs, seasoning and pepper in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter (microwave is okay).

Toss chicken cubes in butter then place them in the breadcrumbs. Toss the cubes about the breadcrumbs (I used a gloved hand, you could also put a lid on the bowl and shake it).

Spray a baking pan with canola and set chicken cubes in a single layer. Bake at 350-degrees for 20-25 minutes, until meat is done (this is one time when I remove a piece and cut it in half) and the outside is golden brown. Note that cubed chicken won’t take as long to bake as whole breasts.

THE SALAD:
Romaine tends to be the best lettuce for a breaded chicken salad and you can buy whole hearts or bagged salad. Either way, tear the lettuce (don’t use a knife) into small pieces. If you use bagged salad, tear it some more - make life easy on your guests.

Shredded Colby-Jack cheese boasts great flavor for this salad, but you could optionally kick it up with some crumbled feta.

Other veggies like onion and tomato is acceptable, but my husband’s narrow palate makes me leave those out.

Then, simply set the chicken on the top.

There you have a quick way to make a great, tasty salad. Working prep time is only about ten minutes. Not bad when you’re stressed for time and need a classic restaurant dish.

Posted Friday, January 12th, 2007 at 8:29 pm EST
Read more in Recipes

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